This research seeks to understand the Chilean state from three perspectives: regional, relational and constructive. Taking the specific case of the city of Concepcion in the period between 1890 and 1930), we observe the particularities of a state model that has not yet been properly studied, namely Social Defense, which differs from its nineteenth-century predecessor, the 'Guardian State, and its natural successor, the 'Welfare State'. The features and the policy and institutional manifestations of this model can, we believe, be seen both in the area of mental health and the asylum, and in the complementary role of surveillance and protection adopted by the Administration, Police Security Service and Labor Office.