Quillota
Encyclopedia
Quillota is a city and commune located in the Aconcagua River
valley of central Chile
's Valparaíso Region
. It is the capital and largest city of the Quillota Province
where many inhabitants live in the surrounding farm areas of San Isidro, La Palma, Pocochay, and San Pedro
. It is an important agricultural
center, mainly because the plantations of avocado
and cherimoya
(custard apple) trees.
Quillota is connected with the city of La Calera
by the small town of La Cruz
. The area's agriculture and landscape was described by Charles Darwin
in his book The Voyage of the Beagle
. Nearby La Campana National Park
holds a plaque at a viewpoint Darwin once visited.
Quillota is 120 kilometres (75 mi) from the national capital
Santiago
and 60 km (37 mi) from the regional capital Valparaíso
.
s from the Bato and Lleo-Lleo Culture, because of the fertile land south of the Aconcagua River
. These natives where later influenced by Mapuche
s and Diaguita
s. The Diaguitas are credited with the evolution of the local culture of the Aconcagua zone and were well known for their pottery
.
Later, Quillota was mitimae and the capital of Qullasuyu, the southern Inca Empire
.
Diego de Almagro
arrived in the valley in 1536. Incan scouts directed him to a beautiful and very fertile valley where the "Quillotas" lived. Before him, a Spanish soldier from Peru
called Don
Gonzalo Calvo de Barrientos was captured by the Quillotas and lived in the valley, learning the local language and culture, during his captivity. Almagro was delighted with the valley, but he was searching for gold and finding none, returned to Peru.
Almagro crossed the valley of Quillota and its environs. And having found the Aconcagua river overflowed and with few possibilities of finding gold, he deemed the land too difficult and returned to Peru, in where he died executed.
Later in 1540, Pedro de Valdivia
arrived in Chile with the title of Governor of Chile. He arrived in the valley and built farms and houses, mainly for the slaves and the Indians who where working for him. Almost the whole area occupied by present day Quillota was Valdivia's property.
De Valdivia established here his fortress between San Pedro
and Limache
, extracting gold from La Campana
mountain and cultivating the Rautén valley, La Palma, Boco and take for himself all the area as his personal property, leaving the Mapocho valley as capital when he founded Santiago
.
After the conquest and during the Colonial period, population was increasing with the mix of races (Spaniards and Aconcaguas) and culture.
Until 1585, Quillota was declared a corregimiento
, and it was the main place of a large province between Illapel
and Casablanca
.
In the 16th century were some tries to founding in the Quillota valley a village with all features and requirements ordered by Spanish kingdom, but it did not succeed.
It was only on November 11, 1717, St. Martin's Day
, that Quillota was founded as a city, originally named "Village of San Martin
de la Concha of Quillota" in the valley bordering Mayaca Hill. The city was founded by the bishop
, Luis Romero
, and the governor, Don José de Santiago Concha y Salvatierra.
s and 9,891 (13.0%) in rural areas. At that time, there were 37,191 men and 38,725 women.
A large part of Quillota's population is descendants of Spanish
settlers and Mestizos. There are still a few families with lands in the valley given by the Spanish governors.
layout of seven blocks square.
Due to the geological composition of the ground and the frequency of earthquakes, its architecture has remained low-rise (with a four-story maximum) and traditional. Today, the commune spans an area of 302 sqkm.
Given its fertile soil, its commune's economy is mainly agricultural, and it is one of the main produce centers in the country.
As a commune, Quillota is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Luis Alberto Mella Gajardo (DC
). The municipal council has the following members:
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Quillota is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Mr. Eduardo Cerda (PDC) and Mrs. Andrea Molina (UDI) as part of the 10th electoral district, (together with La Ligua
, Petorca
, Cabildo
, Papudo
, Zapallar
, Puchuncaví
, Quintero
, Nogales
, Calera, La Cruz
and Hijuelas
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Ignacio Walker Prieto (PDC) and Lily Pérez San Martín (RN) as part of the 5th senatorial constituency (Valparaíso-Cordillera).
Aconcagua River
For other uses, see Aconcagua .The Aconcagua River is a river in Chile that rises from the joint of two minor tributary rivers at above sea level in the Andes, Juncal river from the east and Blanco river from the south east...
valley of central Chile
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...
's Valparaíso Region
Valparaíso Region
The V Valparaíso Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's third highest population of 1,539,852 million in 2002 and third smallest area of , the region is Chile's second most densely populated after the Santiago Metropolitan Region...
. It is the capital and largest city of the Quillota Province
Quillota Province
Quillota Province is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso . Its capital is the city of Quillota .-Administration:...
where many inhabitants live in the surrounding farm areas of San Isidro, La Palma, Pocochay, and San Pedro
San Pedro, Chile
San Pedro is a commune of the Melipilla Province in central Chile's Santiago Metropolitan Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, San Pedro spans an area of and has 7,549 inhabitants , making the commune an entirely rural area...
. It is an important agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
center, mainly because the plantations of avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
and cherimoya
Cherimoya
The Cherimoya is the fruit of the species Annona cherimola, which is native to the Andes. Today they are grown throughout South and Central America.-Description:...
(custard apple) trees.
Quillota is connected with the city of La Calera
La Calera
La Calera may refer to:*Argentina**La Calera, Argentina*Colombia**La Calera, Cundinamarca*Chile**La Calera, Chile*Mexico**La Calera Airport...
by the small town of La Cruz
La Cruz, Chile
La Cruz is a city and commune in the Quillota Province of central Chile's fifth region of Valparaíso.- Geography :The Mediterranean climate of Chile's Zona Central allows for a rich quality and variety of flora and fauna. Thanks to this climate, it is in this small commune in the Quillota Province...
. The area's agriculture and landscape was described by Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
in his book The Voyage of the Beagle
The Voyage of the Beagle
The Voyage of the Beagle is a title commonly given to the book written by Charles Darwin and published in 1839 as his Journal and Remarks, bringing him considerable fame and respect...
. Nearby La Campana National Park
La Campana National Park
La Campana National Park is located in the Cordillera de la Costa, Quillota Province, in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. La Campana National Park and the Vizcachas Mountains lie northwest of Santiago...
holds a plaque at a viewpoint Darwin once visited.
Quillota is 120 kilometres (75 mi) from the national capital
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
and 60 km (37 mi) from the regional capital Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
.
History
The Quillota valley had a big population density for about 2,000 years. Earlier, this area was inhabited by Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s from the Bato and Lleo-Lleo Culture, because of the fertile land south of the Aconcagua River
Aconcagua River
For other uses, see Aconcagua .The Aconcagua River is a river in Chile that rises from the joint of two minor tributary rivers at above sea level in the Andes, Juncal river from the east and Blanco river from the south east...
. These natives where later influenced by Mapuche
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
s and Diaguita
Diaguita
The Diaguita, also called Diaguita-Calchaquí, are a group of South American indigenous peoples. The Diaguita culture developed between the 8th and 16th centuries in what are now the provinces of Salta, Catamarca, La Rioja and Tucumán in northwestern Argentina, and in the Atacama and Coquimbo...
s. The Diaguitas are credited with the evolution of the local culture of the Aconcagua zone and were well known for their pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
.
Later, Quillota was mitimae and the capital of Qullasuyu, the southern Inca Empire
Inca Empire
The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
.
Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro
Diego de Almagro, , also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo , was a Spanish conquistador and a companion and later rival of Francisco Pizarro. He participated in the Spanish conquest of Peru and is credited as the first European discoverer of Chile.Almagro lost his left eye battling with coastal...
arrived in the valley in 1536. Incan scouts directed him to a beautiful and very fertile valley where the "Quillotas" lived. Before him, a Spanish soldier from Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
called Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Gonzalo Calvo de Barrientos was captured by the Quillotas and lived in the valley, learning the local language and culture, during his captivity. Almagro was delighted with the valley, but he was searching for gold and finding none, returned to Peru.
Almagro crossed the valley of Quillota and its environs. And having found the Aconcagua river overflowed and with few possibilities of finding gold, he deemed the land too difficult and returned to Peru, in where he died executed.
Later in 1540, Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
arrived in Chile with the title of Governor of Chile. He arrived in the valley and built farms and houses, mainly for the slaves and the Indians who where working for him. Almost the whole area occupied by present day Quillota was Valdivia's property.
De Valdivia established here his fortress between San Pedro
San Pedro, Chile
San Pedro is a commune of the Melipilla Province in central Chile's Santiago Metropolitan Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, San Pedro spans an area of and has 7,549 inhabitants , making the commune an entirely rural area...
and Limache
Limache
Limache is a Chilean city and commune in the Marga Marga Province, Valparaíso Region. Limache is the only commune of Chile that has two cities. First San Francisco de Limache is to the north of the Matting of Limache, towards the south is Limache Viejo...
, extracting gold from La Campana
La Campana
La Campana is a city located in the province of Seville, Spain. According to the 2005 census , the city has a population of 5236 inhabitants.-External links:* - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía...
mountain and cultivating the Rautén valley, La Palma, Boco and take for himself all the area as his personal property, leaving the Mapocho valley as capital when he founded Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
.
After the conquest and during the Colonial period, population was increasing with the mix of races (Spaniards and Aconcaguas) and culture.
Until 1585, Quillota was declared a corregimiento
Corregimiento
Corregimiento is a term used in Colombia to define a subdivision of Colombian departments. According to the Colombian Constitution of 1991 and Decree 2274 of October 4, 1991, Corregimiento is an internal part of a Department or province, which includes a population core...
, and it was the main place of a large province between Illapel
Illapel
Illapel is a Chilean city, which is the capital of the Choapa Province, Coquimbo Region. It lies along the Illapel River and marks the country's narrowest point along a parallel .It's located to the east of Los Vilos.-Administration:...
and Casablanca
Casablanca, Chile
Casablanca, meaning "white house", is a Chilean city and commune located in Valparaíso Province, Valparaíso Region.- Geography :The city of Casablanca is located on Route 68 between Santiago and the city of Valparaíso, at about 30 minutes southeast of Valparaíso and 50 minutes northwest of Santiago...
.
In the 16th century were some tries to founding in the Quillota valley a village with all features and requirements ordered by Spanish kingdom, but it did not succeed.
It was only on November 11, 1717, St. Martin's Day
St. Martin's Day
St. Martin's Day, also known as the Feast of St. Martin, Martinstag or Martinmas, the Feast of St Martin of Tours or Martin le Miséricordieux, is a time for feasting celebrations. This is the time when autumn wheat seeding is completed. Historically, hiring fairs were held where farm laborers...
, that Quillota was founded as a city, originally named "Village of San Martin
San Martín
-People:*José de San Martín, national hero of Argentina, an 18th-century general and the main leader of the southern part of South America's struggle for independence from Spain...
de la Concha of Quillota" in the valley bordering Mayaca Hill. The city was founded by the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, Luis Romero
Luis Romero
Luis Alberto Romero is a former Uruguayan footballer currently played for clubs of Uruguay, Peru and Italy....
, and the governor, Don José de Santiago Concha y Salvatierra.
Demographics
According to data from the 2002 Census of Population and Housing, Quillota had 75,916 inhabitants; of these, 66,025 (87.0%) lived in urban areaUrban 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 9,891 (13.0%) in rural areas. At that time, there were 37,191 men and 38,725 women.
A large part of Quillota's population is descendants of Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
settlers and Mestizos. There are still a few families with lands in the valley given by the Spanish governors.
City planning
Quillota's motto is "Ciudad creada con cariño" meaning "City created with care". Quillota remains one of the most traditional cities in Chile in that its layout still mainly corresponds to the original colonial SpanishSpanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
layout of seven blocks square.
Due to the geological composition of the ground and the frequency of earthquakes, its architecture has remained low-rise (with a four-story maximum) and traditional. Today, the commune spans an area of 302 sqkm.
Given its fertile soil, its commune's economy is mainly agricultural, and it is one of the main produce centers in the country.
Administration
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 Luis Alberto Mella Gajardo (DC
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...
). The municipal council has the following members:
- Mauricio Javier Ávila Pino (DC)
- María Genoveva Baeza Hermosilla (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...
) - Fernando Alberto Puentes Wasaff (DC)
- José Antonio Rebolar Rivas (RN)
- Víctor Manuel Vergara Flores (PRRadical Party of ChileRadical Party of Chile may refer to the:*Radical Party *Social Democrat Radical Party...
) - Alejandro Eduardo Villarroel Castillo (UDI)
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Quillota 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 Mr. Eduardo Cerda (PDC) and Mrs. Andrea Molina (UDI) as part of the 10th electoral district, (together with La Ligua
La Ligua
La Ligua is a Chilean city and commune, capital of the Petorca Province in Valparaíso Region.The city is known for its textile manufacturing and typical Chilean pastry production.-Demographics:...
, Petorca
Petorca
Petorca is a Chilean town and commune located in the Petorca Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of .-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Petorca has 9,440 inhabitants . Of these, 4,535 lived in urban areas and 4,905 in rural areas...
, Cabildo
Cabildo, Chile
Cabildo is a Chilean city and commune located in the Petorca Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of .-Demographics:According to data from the 2002 Census of Population and Housing, Cabildo had 18,916 inhabitants; of these, 12,453 lived in urban areas and 6,463 in rural areas....
, Papudo
Papudo
Papudo is a Chilean commune located in the Petorca Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of .-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Papudo has 4,608 inhabitants . Of these, 4,343 lived in urban areas and 265 in rural areas...
, Zapallar
Zapallar
Zapallar is a Chilean town and commune located in the Petorca Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of .-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Zapallar has 5,659 inhabitants . Of these, 4,744 lived in urban areas and 915 in rural areas...
, Puchuncaví
Puchuncaví
Puchuncaví is a town and commune in the Valparaíso Province of central Chile's fifth region of Valparaíso. It spans a coastal area of .-History:...
, Quintero
Quintero
Quintero is a Chilean city and commune in Valparaíso Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of .-History:The name of the city comes from Alonso Quintero, the Spanish navigator who discovered the bay in 1536 when he arrived on the ship Santiaguillo.-Demographics:According to the 2002...
, Nogales
Nogales, Chile
Nogales is a city and commune in the Quillota Province of central Chile's fifth region of Valparaíso.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Nogales has 21,633 inhabitants . Of these, 18,698 lived in urban areas and 2,935 in rural areas...
, Calera, La Cruz
La Cruz, Chile
La Cruz is a city and commune in the Quillota Province of central Chile's fifth region of Valparaíso.- Geography :The Mediterranean climate of Chile's Zona Central allows for a rich quality and variety of flora and fauna. Thanks to this climate, it is in this small commune in the Quillota Province...
and Hijuelas
Hijuelas
Hijuelas is a city and commune in the Quillota Province of central Chile's fifth region of Valparaíso.- Geography :Hijuelas spans an area of in Chile's Zona Central...
). 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 Ignacio Walker Prieto (PDC) and Lily Pérez San Martín (RN) as part of the 5th senatorial constituency (Valparaíso-Cordillera).
Schools and Universities
The city is well endowed with educational facilities, for primary and secondary education. Given its agricultural importance in the country, many universities of the region have established their agricultural studies faculties here. The following is a list of some of these facilities:- Colegio Valle del Aconcagua
- Colegio Inglés Saint Gabriel
- Colegio Nuestra Señora del Huerto
- Colegio San Ignacio de LaSalle
- Colegio Técnico Diego Echeverría Castro, Marist Brothers
- Instituto Rafael Ariztía, Marist Brothers
- Liceo de Hombres Santiago Escutti Orrego
- School of Agricultural Studies of the Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.http://ucv.altavoz.net/prontus_unidacad/site/artic/20061207/pags/20061207150302.html