Bellavista Oveja Tome, Textile factory in Tomé, Chile
Bellavista Oveja Tome is a textile factory in Tomé that occupies multiple connected buildings where wool is processed into quality fabrics. The site includes production halls, worker housing, and community facilities that together form an integrated industrial settlement.
The factory was established in 1865 and processed wool from South American sources into export-quality fabrics. During the Pacific War it produced military uniforms, and for over a century it remained a major economic force in the region.
The factory developed as a workers' community with its own church, school, and marketplace that shaped daily life for those employed there. These facilities show how the enterprise formed a self-contained neighborhood within the town.
The site includes multiple zones that can be explored on foot, showing both production areas and housing sections. Getting an overview of the layout first helps you understand the different functions of the complex.
In 1970 this factory became the first enterprise expropriated under President Salvador Allende's government, marking a turning point in Chilean politics. This event made the site a symbol of the country's social transformation.
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