Rafael is a town in the commune of Tomé

Tomé

Tomé is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is bordered by Coelemu to the north, Ránquil and Florida to the east, Penco to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west...

, in Concepción Province

Concepción Province, Chile

Concepción Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Biobío . Its capital, Concepción, is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation, the nation's second largest metropolitan area after Santiago.-Administration:...

, in the Biobío Region of 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...

.

History

Originally a crossroads on the Camino Real between Concepcion

Concepción, Chile

Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...

 and Chillan

Chillán

Chillán is a city in the Biobío Region of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of Ñuble Province and, with a population of approximately 170,000 people , the most populated urban center of this province...

 and 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...

. It was first the site of a mill on the Pingueral River. On October 24, 1657, Pedro Porter Casanate

Pedro Porter Casanate

Admiral Pedro Porter y Casanate was a Spanish sailor, soldier, explorer of California and Royal Governor of Chile from 1656 to 1662.-Early life:...

 built a fort San Rafael de Coelemu to protect the Royal roads and secure the Coelemu region from the attacks of the Mapuche. Later a Jesuit encomienda

Encomienda

The encomienda was a system that was employed mainly by the Spanish crown during the colonization of the Americas to regulate Native American labor....

 and a church were established there. In 1835, it became the capital of the Department of Coelemu, until the town of Coelemu

Coelemu

Coelemu is a Chilean commune and city in Ñuble Province, Biobío Region. According to the 2002 census, the commune population was 16,082 and has an area of .-Demographics:...

replaced Rafael as the capital in January 1854. On October 22, 1891, Rafael was made a municipality. On December 30, 1927, it became part of the new Department of Tomé.

Sources

• Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga y Cienfuegos, Diccionario geográfico de la República de Chile, 2nd ed, New York, Appleton & Co 1899. pg. 635 Rafael. — Villa