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Chanco (Chile)
Encyclopedia
Chanco is a Chile
an commune located in Cauquenes Province
, Maule Region
.
and Empedrado (both in Talca Province
); on the south by Pelluhue
; on the east by Cauquenes
, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean
. The area of the municipality is 529.5 sqkm.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Chanco has 9,457 inhabitants (4,856 men and 4,601 women). Of these, 4,012 (42.4%) lived in urban area
s and 5,445 (57.6%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 0.4% (35 persons).
. Chanco had begun as a seaside settlement. However, in the 19th century the coastal dunes advanced eastward and buried the old village and the surrounding crops. At the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the efforts of the German botanist and naturalist
Federico Albert the town was saved from being buried again, when Albert started a large-scale project by planting an extense forest west to Chanco and relocating the town eastwards. The forest would be declared a national reserve
in 1979 and today it constitutes a frequented touristic attraction in the province of Cauquenes.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Viviana Díaz Mesa (RN
).The municipal council has the following members:
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Chanco is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Guillermo Ceroni (PPD
) and Ignacio Urrutia (UDI) as part of the 40th electoral district, (together with Longaví
, Retiro
, Parral
, Cauquenes
and Pelluhue
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Hernán Larraín
(UDI) and Ximena Rincón González (PDC
) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an commune located in Cauquenes Province
Cauquenes Province
Cauquenes Province is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule . The provincial capital is the city of Cauquenes.-Geography and demography:The provincial capital, Cauquenes, lies approximately southwest of Santiago...
, Maule Region
Maule Region
The VII Maule Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region takes its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a basin of about 20,600 km2...
.
Geography
Chanco is bordered on the north by ConstituciónConstitución, Chile
Constitución is a seaside resort, industrial city, minor port and commune in Chile, located in the Maule Region, Talca Province.-History:-8.8 magnitude 2010 earthquake:...
and Empedrado (both in Talca Province
Talca Province
Talca Province is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule . Its capital is the city of Talca.-Administration:As a province, Talca is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed by a provincial governor who is appointed by the president.-Communes:The province...
); on the south by Pelluhue
Pelluhue
Pelluhue is a town and commune in the Cauquenes Province of central Chile's eighth region of Maule.-Geography:...
; on the east by Cauquenes
Cauquenes
Cauquenes, a city and commune in Chile, is the capital of the Cauquenes Province and is located in the Maule Region.-History:According to the historical records of Alonso de Ercilla, Cauquenes was originally inhabited by an indigenous community of the Promaucaes, known as the Cauqui by the Inca or...
, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The area of the municipality is 529.5 sqkm.
Demography
According to the 2002 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of the National Statistics Institute
National Statistics Institute (Chile)
The National Statistics Institute of Chile is a state-run organization of the Government of Chile, created in the second half of the 19th century and tasked with performing a general census of population and housing, then collecting, producing and publishing official demographic statistics of...
, Chanco has 9,457 inhabitants (4,856 men and 4,601 women). Of these, 4,012 (42.4%) lived in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s and 5,445 (57.6%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 0.4% (35 persons).
History
Chanco was founded on 1889 in an old settlement populated by the indigenous people known as promaucaesPromaucaes
Promaucaes, Promaucas or Purumaucas ; pre-Columbian Mapuche tribal group that lived in the present territory of Chile, south of the Maipo River basin of Santiago, Chile and the Itata River,...
. Chanco had begun as a seaside settlement. However, in the 19th century the coastal dunes advanced eastward and buried the old village and the surrounding crops. At the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the efforts of the German botanist and naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
Federico Albert the town was saved from being buried again, when Albert started a large-scale project by planting an extense forest west to Chanco and relocating the town eastwards. The forest would be declared a national reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
in 1979 and today it constitutes a frequented touristic attraction in the province of Cauquenes.
Traditions and tourism
Chanco was declared "typical zone" in 1999, due to its neo-colonial style. A very popular annual celebration that takes place every February is a festival honoring the late singer Guadalupe of the Carmen (original name Esmeralda González), born in Quilhuiné, near Chanco, who was hugely popular in the region and, in general among Chilean peasants in the 'fifties and 'sixties as an interpreter of Mexican music. The festival, a true tribute to popular Mexican music, represents a major regional event.Administration
As a commune, Chanco is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal councilMunicipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, headed by an alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Viviana Díaz Mesa (RN
National Renewal (Chile)
National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
).The municipal council has the following members:
- Gerassimo Moulas Vargas (UDI)
- Marcelo Waddington Guajardo (PRSDSocial Democrat Radical PartyThe Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
) - Juan Díaz Mesa (RNNational Renewal (Chile)National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
) - Mario Quiñones Cortés (PDCChristian Democratic PartyChristian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
) - Javier Cancino Ibáñez (RNNational Renewal (Chile)National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
) - Hernán Muñoz Minchel (RNNational Renewal (Chile)National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
)
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Chanco is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution....
by Guillermo Ceroni (PPD
Party for Democracy
The Party for Democracy is a political party in Chile; it is social democratic in its political orientation. It was founded in December 1987 by Ricardo Lagos, who aimed at forming a legal social democratic party . The party continued to function after the defeat of Pinochet...
) and Ignacio Urrutia (UDI) as part of the 40th electoral district, (together with Longaví
Longaví
Longaví is a Chilean city and commune located in Linares Province, one of the four provinces that make up the Maule Region, in the geographical center of Chile.-Geography:...
, Retiro
Retiro
Retiro might refer to the following:*Retiro, Antioquia, a municipality in the Colombian department of Antioquia*Retiro, Buenos Aires, a neighbourhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina...
, Parral
Parral, Chile
Parral is a city and commune and in the Linares Province of central Chile's seventh region of Maule.-History:Parral was founded in 1795 by the Viceroy of Peru, Ambrosio O'Higgins...
, Cauquenes
Cauquenes
Cauquenes, a city and commune in Chile, is the capital of the Cauquenes Province and is located in the Maule Region.-History:According to the historical records of Alonso de Ercilla, Cauquenes was originally inhabited by an indigenous community of the Promaucaes, known as the Cauqui by the Inca or...
and Pelluhue
Pelluhue
Pelluhue is a town and commune in the Cauquenes Province of central Chile's eighth region of Maule.-Geography:...
). The commune is represented in the Senate
Senate of Chile
The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
by Hernán Larraín
Hernán Larraín
Hernán Larraín Fernández is a conservative Chilean lawyer, university lecturer, and politician; he is a current Senator and former President of the Senate, and is also currently serving as the president of the Independent Democrat Union. Larraín was elected to the Senate representing the 11th...
(UDI) and Ximena Rincón González (PDC
Christian Democratic Party
Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).
External links
Municipality of Chanco- Aerial view of Chanco (1), Google Maps
- Aerial view of Chanco (2), Google Maps
- http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Chanco,+Maule+Chile&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=15&ll=-35.781788,-72.546372&spn=0.018173,0.036693&t=kLarge dunes between Chanco and PelluhuePelluhuePelluhue is a town and commune in the Cauquenes Province of central Chile's eighth region of Maule.-Geography:...
] - Tourist information