Rodolfo Urbina Burgos

Rodolfo Urbina Burgos (Castro, 14 June 1940 – Viña del Mar, 3 September 2024) was a Chilean historian, best known for his historiographical work on the Chiloé Archipelago and its culture.

Biography

Rodolfo Urbina was born in Castro in 1940, the son of Carlos Urbina Blanco and Adelina Burgos Gallegos. He was the brother of physician and writer Medardo Urbina, and of Flor, María Victoria, and Ernesto. He was also the father of historian Ximena Urbina.

After finishing secondary school, he moved to Valparaíso, where he earned a degree as Professor of History and Geography at the Catholic University of Valparaíso in 1971. Between 1971 and 2008, he served as full professor of American History at the Institute of History. In 1980, he obtained a Ph.D. in History from the University of Seville with a thesis on 18th-century Chiloé. Historians Mario Góngora and Héctor Herrera Cajas were his main intellectual influences.

In 1987, he was elected corresponding member of the Chilean Academy of History, becoming a full member in 1999. He was also a full member of the Chilean Academy of Naval and Maritime History.

Recognition Rodolfo Urbina is regarded as a pioneer in the historiographical study of Chiloé, particularly for his research on the 18th century and the history of the city of Castro. The publication of La periferia meridional indiana (1983), together with the earlier appearance of Walter Hanisch’s La isla de Chiloé, capitana de rutas australes (1982), marked—according to historian Mateo Martinic—“the landmark signaling the beginning of contemporary Chilote historiography.”

Writers such as Felipe Montiel and Carlos Trujillo have also acknowledged his influence in shaping new generations of historians from the province.

In 2000, he received the **Chiloé Cultural Extension Award** from the Municipality of Castro for his contribution to the history of the archipelago.

Works La política de poblaciones en Chile durante el siglo XVI (1978), co-authored with Santiago Lorenzo. La periferia meridional indiana: Chiloé en el siglo XVIII (1983) Las misiones franciscanas de Chiloé a fines del siglo XVIII: 1771–1800 (1990) La vida cotidiana en un pueblo de Chiloé: Castro 1940–1960 (1991) Castro, castreños y chilotes: 1960–1990 (1996) Gobierno y sociedad en Chiloé colonial (1998) Valparaíso: auge y ocaso del viejo "Pancho", 1830–1930 (1999) La vida en Chiloé en los tiempos del fogón 1900–1940 (2002) Población indígena, encomienda y tributo en Chiloé: 1567–1813 (2004) Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso: desde su fundación hasta la reforma 1928–1973 (2004), co-authored with Raúl Buono-Core. El municipio y la ciudad de Castro: la corporación edilicia en la reconstrucción de la ciudad (1936–1960) (2010) Fragmentos de la cotidianidad de los chilotes: Castro, 1940–1949 (2012) Aspectos del vivir de los chilotes: Castro 1950–1960 (2013) Ancud: una capital provinciana decimonónica, 1800–1900 (2016)