Historical-cultural diversity: Yahgans, Colonialism and Voyagers

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More than 500 archeological sites are found along the coastlines of Navarino Island and other regional islands. 'Conchales' (Middens) which are more than 7000 years old tell the story of the Yahgan tribe, nomadic hunters who navigated the waters of the Beagle Channel, creating a complex cosmology and a sophisticated ecological knowledge. For Charles Darwin, the meeting with the Yahgan was essential for the development of his concept of human development detailed in his "Origin of the Species". Today the Yahgan represent the most threatened of the indigenous cultures of Chile.

During the 19th and 20th Centuries the Cape Horn region represented the ultimate challenge for European colonists and contrasts with the rest of Hispanic Catholic Chile: English missionaries, the gold rush and farming transformed the natural and cultural landscapes. Finally in the history of worldwide navigation, Cape Horn represents a tempestuous landmark and more than 1000 shipwrecks are testimony to its danger.