Coquimbo Region

The capital and largest city is La Serena. Other significant cities include Coquimbo, a major seaport, and Ovalle, a center for agriculture.

History

From the third century onward, the area was inhabited by the indigenous Molle, Ánimas, and Diaguita peoples, who established various settlements in the valleys stretching from the Andes to the sea and were primarily agricultural communities. Along the coast, a nomadic people later known as the Chango or Camanchaco settled, making their living through fishing.

The region traces its origins to the huamani (or sichi) of Coquimbo. Toward the end of the 15th century, the area was incorporated into the Inca Empire, which conquered and ruled the Diaguita people. The Inca governor established his seat in the Coquimbo Valley, from where he administered the region. This political territory extended from the Copiapó Valley to the Limarí Valley, bordered by the huamani of Collao to the north and Chile to the south. From this period onward, the valley and the region came to be known as Coquimbo, probably derived from the Quechua words qullqi ("silver") and tanpu ("tambo" or roadside inn).

The region was explored by the Spanish under the command of Diego de Almagro in 1536 during the Discovery of Chile, although its inhabitants reportedly reacted with hostility to their presence. Upon entering the Coquimbo Valley, Almagro ordered the execution of 30 native leaders from nearby villages, including the local Inca governor, in retaliation for the deaths of three of his men. This event, together with the European destruction of the Inca Empire, marked the decline of Inca political influence in the valley. As part of Almagro's expedition, Los Vilos served as an improvised supply port for a small ship called San Pedro, commanded by Alonso de Quintero.

In 1540, Pedro de Valdivia, during his campaign to conquer Chile, crossed the region on his way to the Mapocho Valley, where he would found the city of Santiago de la Nueva Extremadura.

Because of the long and hazardous journey between Santiago and Lima, Pedro de Valdivia ordered Juan Bohón to found La Serena in 1543 or 1544, approximately 475 kilometers (295 miles) north of Santiago. In 1549, La Serena was burned and destroyed by indigenous groups but was rebuilt later that same year by Francisco de Aguirre. After the city's consolidation, the Spanish organized the territory as the Corregimiento of Coquimbo, transferring its political center from the Coquimbo Valley to the city of La Serena, which during the colonial period and part of the 19th century was also known as the city of Coquimbo. The boundaries of the corregimiento were similar to those during Inca rule, extending from Atacama in the north and now including Choapa in the south.

At the end of the 16th century, due to the decline in the native population, hundreds of Mapuche were relocated to the Coquimbo Valley and La Serena. This measure was intended both to exile and disperse groups resisting Spanish conquest during the Arauco War and to address labor shortages on the region's estates and in its mines.

In 1786, as a result of the Bourbon Reforms implemented in Chile, the Corregimiento of Coquimbo became the District (Partido) of Coquimbo, which fell under the jurisdiction of the Intendancy of Santiago.

As a republican political-administrative division, the Coquimbo Region originated from the Intendancy of Coquimbo, established on September 23, 1811, by the First National Congress. It joined the existing colonial intendancies of Santiago and Concepción, becoming one of the three regions that initially formed Chile during its struggle for independence. On August 30, 1826, under the Federal Laws, the Province of Coquimbo was created from the former Intendancy of Coquimbo, alongside seven other provinces: Aconcagua, Santiago, Colchagua, Maule, Concepción, Valdivia, and Chiloé.

The Constitution of 1828 maintained Chile's division into eight provinces. In 1843, the Province of Atacama was created by separating the northern portion of the Province of Coquimbo. In the following years, additional departments were established.

Under the Municipalities Creation Decree of 1891, the departments were subdivided into new municipalities. In 1927, Decree with Force of Law (DFL) No. 8582, issued on December 30, reorganized the province, while DFL No. 8583 established the commune-subdelegations.

In 1974, as part of Chile's regionalization process, the Province of Coquimbo, with its capital at La Serena and comprising the departments of La Serena, Elqui, Coquimbo, Ovalle, Combarbalá, and Illapel, along with the communes of La Serena, La Higuera, Vicuña, Paihuano, Coquimbo, Andacollo, Ovalle, Monte Patria, Punitaqui, Samo Alto, Combarbalá, Illapel, Mincha, Salamanca, and Los Vilos, was transformed into the IV Region of Coquimbo. The new administrative region was divided into the three provinces of Elqui, Limarí, and Choapa.