Fábrica de Manufacturas Sumar, Textile manufacturing complex in San Joaquín, Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile.
The Fábrica de Manufacturas Sumar is a textile complex in San Joaquín with multiple buildings originally used for cotton spinning and fabric production. The site housed machinery for synthetic fiber manufacturing and was converted into a shopping center in 2016 with around 40 stores while preserving its original architectural features.
The complex was founded in 1946 by Palestinian immigrant Salomón Sumar and introduced South America's first nylon production line in 1957. This innovation made the facility a technological hub in the region and shaped Chile's industrial development for decades.
The residential neighborhood was created specifically to house workers and their families, showing how the factory shaped community life. Visitors can still see these buildings today, which reflect the close bond between work and home in that era.
The site is now easily accessible as a shopping center with parking areas and pedestrian pathways that run through the original preserved factory buildings. Visitors can explore the historical architecture while shopping, with unrestricted access throughout the space.
Military helicopters monitored the facility during the 1973 coup because of the high concentration of union leaders working there. This event reflects the political importance of the factory and its workforce in Chile's history.
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