Lably
Skip to content

Quillota

  • 4 min read
  • 7 chapters

Related on Lably

Through Urban area and Rural area

Quillota is connected to the city of La Calera by the small city of La Cruz. Charles Darwin described the area's agriculture and the landscape in his book The Voyage of the Beagle. In nearby La Campana National Park, there is a plaque at a viewpoint commemorating Darwin's visit.

History

The Quillota Valley had been populated for about 2,000 years. At the outset, the area was inhabited by Native Americans of the Bato and Lleo-Lleo cultures, who had migrated to the valley because of the fertile land south of the Aconcagua River. These natives were later influenced by Mapuches and Diaguitas. he Diaguitas are credited with the evolution of the local culture of the Aconcagua zone and were well known for their pottery.

Later, Quillota was mitma and the capital of Qullasuyu, the southern Inca Empire.

Diego de Almagro arrived in the valley in 1536. Incan scouts led him to a beautiful and fertile valley where the "Quillotas" lived. Before Almagro's arrival, a Spanish soldier from Peru called Gonzalo Calvo de Barrientos had been captured by the Quillotas and lived in the valley, learning the local language and culture during his captivity.

Although Almagro was delighted by the discovery of the valley, the purpose of his journey had been to find gold. Unsuccessful in his objective, he returned to Peru, where he was later executed.

In 1540, Pedro de Valdivia arrived in the Quillota Valley with the title of Governor of Chile. He built farms and houses, mainly for the slaves and the Indians who were working for him. Most of the area presently occupied by Quillota had originally been his property. Valdivia established a fortress between San Pedro and Limache, extracted gold from La Campana Mountain, and cultivated the Rautén Valley, La Palma and Boco. He took the entire area as his personal property, leaving the Mapocho Valley as the capital when he founded Santiago.

In 1585, Quillota was declared the capital of the Corregimiento de Quillota, a large province between Illapel and Casablanca.

In the 16th century, attempts were made to found a village in the Quillota Valley with all the features and requirements ordered by the Spanish Crown, but it did not succeed.

It was only on November 11, 1717, St. Martin's Day, that Quillota was founded. Its original name was "Villa de San Martín de la Concha del Valle de Quillota" (transl. Town of San Martin de la Concha of Quillota Valley). The city was founded by the bishop, Luis Romero, and the governor, José de Santiago Concha y Salvatierra.

Sign in to keep reading

6 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Regions and countries