Noticing death through Ariqueña press, 1883-1932

Abstract

This article explores cultural practices and discourses with reference to death in the Chilean-Peruvian border, particularly in the city of Arica, of "chileanization" and its representations by local journalists. Methodologically, the article dissects the recognized phenomenon of three derived rituals: visitation, funeral and funeral speeches. Textual analysis of the contents of the former two were conducted; the latter was apprehended following the ideas of Lakoff and Johnson concerning metaphors. The conclusions support the importance of hemerographic heuristics in writing the history of death, not excluding other kinds of sources; the difficulty of finding local features that affirm the existence of a mortuary culture in Arica; the classist exclusions realized by the press in reporting about death and, finally, the vital importance of metaphors in funeral speeches.