Punta Arenas mayor Claudio Radonich is of Croatian descent.
The initiative aims to preserve the memory of one of the immigrant communities that made a major contribution to the historical, social and economic development of the Magallanes region, said the organisers, the Croatian Club and the Croatian Mutual Aid Society of Punta Arenas.
The mural was created by local artist Rodrigo Barría and installed in premises provided for the project by water utility company Aguas Magallanes.
The unveiling ceremony was led by Croatian Club president María Angélica Mimica and Croatian Mutual Aid Society president Mladen Tadić Cerić, together with members and descendants of Croatian immigrants.
The artwork seeks to recognise the history, efforts and contribution of generations of Croatian settlers who helped shape the development of Punta Arenas and the Magallanes region throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
The unveiling is part of broader efforts by Croatian communities to preserve their heritage and historical memory. Their ancestors migrated to this remote part of the world for economic and political reasons.
Chile is home to around 200,000 Croats and their descendants, making it the country with the second-largest Croatian diaspora in Latin America after Argentina.