This article seeks to contribute to knowledge about the so-called “commons” through a historical study focused on the conflictive relationship that existed regarding the use of beaches among waterfront-property owners, artisanal fishermen and government authorities in Chile. The condition of certain coastal zones of commons enabled fishermen to demand their rights and to subsist in a hostile environment. There was a series of difficulties that were multiplied in the 20th century through military intervention by the state and that had repercussions in a series of petitions regarding fishing activity and property rights. Moreover, fishermen alternated developing survival strategies that helped them to avoid being completely “deprived of beaches.” The methodology used was research of primary sources housed in the Archivo Nacional de Chile that show the struggles waged by fishermen to maintain these spaces of common use and to protect them against encroachment by fiscal authorities and private property owners along the shoreline.