Sewell Mining Town

Sewell was built from 1905 on a mountainside at around 2,200 metres to house the workers of El Teniente, still the largest underground copper mine in the world, and the slope was so steep that no street could be laid: the town was organised around a central staircase climbing the hill, with buildings in painted timber stepping up either side. Some fifteen thousand people lived there at its height. It was largely evacuated from the late 1960s under a policy of moving workers down to Rancagua, and it was inscribed by UNESCO in 2006 as an example of the company towns that industrial mining produced in remote places.

What you actually see

• A town of staircases - the slope too steep for streets.
• Painted timber buildings - stepping up either side of the stair.
• Built for El Teniente - still the largest underground copper mine.
• Inscribed in 2006 - as a surviving industrial company town.

When to go

Year round, on booked tours. A full day.

Honest expectations

There is no independent access - the road belongs to the mine and tours must be booked in advance from Rancagua. Much of the town was demolished after the evacuation, so what remains is a fraction. The altitude and the stairs are real work.

Nearby

Rancagua is down the valley; Santiago is about two hours north.