Founded in 1883 by immigrants from Croatia and Chiloe during a minor nineteenth century gold rush, Porvenir is the capital of the Chilean province of Tierra del Fuego. It is a small town of 5,400 inhabitants and several thousand soldiers. Nonetheless, it is by far the largest settement in the Chilean half of Tierra del Fuego.
The main industries are sheep farming and small scale fishing (wrecks in Porvenir bay have prevented larger vessels from mooring). The presence of a regiment of the Chilean army is a valuable additional source of income. Porvenir hosts a high security prison and an abattoir, which, however is only open for short periods of the year.
Some gold deposits remain and are commerically exploited. Porvenir also gives access to Cerro Sombrero, an oil town, 125 kilometres east of Porvenir.
Tourism
The development of tourism in Tierra del Fuego has largely favoured Argentina. The Argentinian town of Ushuaia offers easier access to the mountainous scenery and fly fishing that attract most tourists, as well as being a more convenient starting point for tours to Antarctica.
Most tourists pass Porvenir by, or use it as a stopover on their way south. There are two hotels, and a few bars. Access is by ferry or by air from Punta Arenas.
It is possible to reach the south of Chilean Tierra del Fuego from Porvenir. The southern region boasts several lakes and rivers available for fishing.
While the CNTV deliberated, Chile's intellectuals and artists signed a full-page insert against film censorship in La Tercera, stating that "the hour has arrived to make good our intentions and stop censoring the list of forbidden films."82 Eventually, the CNTV determined that the film was harmless and took no action.
In November 1996, lawyers representing "Chile's Future" (Porvenir de Chile), a conservative Catholic group, lodged a protection writ with the Santiago Appeals Court, on the grounds that the CCC's decision to allow the film to be shown violated the right to honor of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church, and of themselves as practising Catholics.
The court ruled against Chile in February 2001, finding that Chile's use of prior censorship violated Article 13 of the American Convention, and that Chile had thus failed to respect and guarantee the rights enumerated in the Convention, as required under Articles 1 and 2.
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