Peruvians in Santiago, Chile: urban transformations and perception of immigrants

Abstract

Since the 1990s, statistic data shows a massive immigration of Peruvian to the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, allocating principally in municipalities of Santiago, Recoleta and Independencia. In this context, an assesmet is offered in regard to the effects of Peruvian immigrants as agents of change in the central area of Santiago, from socio-spatial transformations, that modify the territory, to the behavior of population -evolution and spatial distribution-, and changes urban morphology and structure. This process is read through the Theory of Geography of Migrations that explain migration processes in the context of globalization and how it generates new attraction sites for the allocation of the population. Finally, the objective and perceived life conditions of  Peruvian migrants in regard to quality of life and residential satisfaction are evaluated.