MISIÓN SALESIANA
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Salesian mission to evangelize the Onas or Selknam, founded in 1893 a few kilometers before the town.
Located just a few kilometers before the town, this Salesian mission was founded in 1893 with the aim of evangelizing the Onas (or Selknam), the original people of the region, now extinct. From the 1870s onwards, the Salesians set out to evangelize the indigenous peoples. Related to the Savoyard Catholic priest François de Sales, Salesian missionaries played a controversial role among the nomadic peoples of Tierra del Fuego. In principle, their mission was to "civilize" the Onas by providing education, comfort and hygiene. Regrouped in reducciones, the Onas had to give up their nomadic way of life, and were the victims of a psychological and physical upheaval (they were decimated by diseases imported by the Whites). The Salesians were the initiators of this devastating experiment, which resulted in thousands of deaths, yet they claimed to protect these people, who were considered vulnerable once they fell into the hands of the large landowners (who continued to acquire thousands of hectares). Among the massacres perpetrated against the Onas, we feel it is important to mention those of Julio Popper and José Menéndez: two figures infamous for having played a major role in the indigenous genocide. During your visit, you can step back in time and visit the museum, the fishponds, the historic chapel, the sisters' workshop and the main building.
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