General Information

In August 1998 former Sewell camp was declared a National Monument in the category "Typical and Picturesque Zone in the Sixth Region". The candidacy was sponsored by Codelco - Chile El Teniente Division and supported by the Regional Intendance. At the same time, in December of the same year, the House of Representatives put forward a motion to create a "National Museum of Large-Scale Copper Mining" and took the steps required before Unesco for Sewell to be proclaimed Heritage of Humanity.

Considering the declaration of Sewell as a National Monument, the initiatives aiming at the creation of the Large-Scale Mining Museum, and the steps taken to obtain UNESCO's acknowledgment implied giving the former camp the status of a heritage asset, in 1999 the El Teniente Division made a Strategic Action Plan for Sewell's preservation.