History of Pichilemu
Encyclopedia
The history of Pichilemu began around the 16th century, when Promaucaes
inhabited the modern Pichilemu
region. According to Chilean
historiographer José Toribio Medina
on his book Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
(1908), Spanish conqueror Pedro de Valdivia
gave Topocalma encomienda
, in which Pichilemu
was supposed to be, to Juan Gómez de Almagro, on January 24, 1544.
The name Pichilemu comes from the Mapudungún
words pichi, little, and lemu, forest. Petrel, also known as San Antonio de Petrel, was a hacienda
located 18 kilometers east of Pichilemu, is known for being the birthplace of José María Caro
. The Ortúzar Cuevas family, that owned Petrel hacienda, constructed a dock in 1887 that was burnt in 1891 amidst the Chilean Civil War
. It was later reconstructed, but finally destructed in 1911. They constructed additionally the first neighborhood in the currently named Daniel Ortúzar Avenue. The city of Pichilemu was officially established on December 22, 1891, by decree of President Jorge Montt
and his Interior Minister, Manuel José Irarrázabal.
Agustín Ross
, a Chilean
writer and politician, constructed the Agustín Ross Hotel
, a casino, now Agustín Ross Cultural Centre
, the Agustín Ross Balcony
and the Agustín Ross Park
, in addition to several perrons. A 119 kilometres (73.9 mi) railway section between San Fernando
and Pichilemu section over a period of 57 years between 1869 and 1926. The Pichilemu railway station
was inaugurated that year.
Cardenal Caro Province
was created by decree of President Augusto Pinochet
on September 24, 1979, named in memoriam and in homage to the first Cardinal of the Chilean Catholic Church, José María Caro
. Pichilemu is the capital of the province.
were the first inhabitants of the Pichilemu
area. Promaucaes were hunter-gatherer
s and fishermen
who lived primarily along the Cachapoal
and Maule
rivers. Promaucaes also exploited Cáhuil
salines.
On January 24, 1544, Spanish
conqueror Pedro de Valdivia
gave Juan Gómez de Almagro the Topocalma encomienda
in which Pichilemu
was supposed to be, according to Chilean
historiographer José Toribio Medina
on his book Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
.
In late 16th century, Spanish monks started to plant vineyards in Pichilemu. In 1607, Spanish Governor Alonso García Ramón gave Captain Tomás Duran land near Petrel Lagoon, where Pichilemu
is currently located.
In 1611, a piece of land near Topocalma was given by the Captaincy General of Chile to Bartolomé de Rojas y Puebla, who later acquired more lands to establish Hacienda San Antonio de Petrel. Petrel gave Rojas y Puebla and to its successive owners a good income, through the manufacture of leather, jerky, soles, tallow and cordovan, as well as the grazing lease to other farmers, the granting of permits to graze their animals and their care. Products from Petrel were exported to Peru, and sold in Santiago
and Valparaíso
. Petrel was also severely affected by drought periods in 1730, 1740 and 1780.
In the early 17th century, a census made in Colchagua reported that Cáhuil
, the most important area administratively in the current Pichilemu area, had 1,678 inhabitants.
In 1778 a church was constructed in Ciruelos and designated a vice parish. Years later, in 1864, it became a parish. As of 1787, Pichilemu had 1,688 inhabitants.
In late 1860s, the construction of the railway from San Fernando
to Pichilemu
was started. It ended in 1926.
In 1872, President of Chile
Aníbal Pinto
commissioned the corvette
captain Francisco Vidal Gormaz
to perform a survey of the coast between Tumán Creek and Boca del Mataquito. Vidal noted in his research that Matanzas
, Sirenas, Pupuya, Los Piures, and Cáhuil were too open for ferries. He named Tumán, Topocalma, and Pichilemu as places with better hydrographic
conditions, and concluded that Pichilemu was the best place to construct a ferry.
San Antonio de Petrel, owned by Ortúzar family these years, was first called "Pichilemu" in 1873, and was described as a village. Ortúzar constructed a dock in 1875, which served as a fishing port for a few years. Pedro Pavez Polanco and Ortúzar Cuevas were large-landholding families, and they built historic homes and buildings, such as Pichilemu post office building
, over the years.
In 1885, Agustín Ross
, a Chilean writer, Member of Parliament
, minister
, and politician, bought a 300 hectares (741.3 acre) tract of land and named it La Posada (The Inn). At the time, it was merely a set of thick-walled barracks. Ross constructed the Ross Park
and Great Hotel Pichilemu
(Gran Hotel Pichilemu) that year. Great Hotel Pichilemu, currently named Ross Hotel, is one of the oldest hotels in Chile.
In 1887, President José Manuel Balmaceda
decreed Pichilemu as a minor dock. In March 1887, the first merchant ship arrived at Pichilemu. Some years later, during the 1891 Chilean Civil War
, Daniel Ortúzar and the priest of Alcones
transferred prisoners to and from Pichilemu via the dock, Balmacedian troops, directed by Juan García Valdivieso, moved to Pichilemu, and burned the dock. It was later reconstructed and used until 1912, but did not reach "port" status.
Shortly after the 1891 Civil War ended, the newly elected President Jorge Montt
and his Interior Minister, Manuel José Irarrázabal, promulgated the "law of the autonomous commune", creating a thousand and ninety four communes, including Pichilemu
.
In 1894, the Municipality was created; Pichilemu covered the territories of current Pumanque
and Marchihue
(at these times, known as Yerbas Buenas); and a group of neighbors and taxpayers held a meeting to elect the first (main), second and third Mayors (Alcalde
s), in addition to a number of regidores. José María Caro Martínez
was elected as the first Mayor of Pichilemu. Caro formalized the city plan in 1894.
Caro Martínez was elected for four consecutive periods: 1894–1897; 1897–1900; 1900–1903; and 1903–1906, but he left the office in 1905. The Second Mayor, Francisco Javier Asalgado succeeded him, and held the office until 1909.
In 1905, Agustín Ross
constructed a building that hosted the first mail and telegraph service in Pichilemu and a big store. The building had three floors, and was raised using imported materials. The building was opened as the first casino
in Chile on January 20, 1906.
In 1908, Agustín Ross
and Evaristo Merino reported to historiographer José Toribio Medina
the existence of indigenous remains in a Pichileminian cave. Medina asked Argentinian ethnographer Félix Faustino Outes
to inspect the remains, and subsequently Medina wrote the book "Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
", with the complete report Faustino Outes gave him. Earlier that year, on January 16, the first newspaper of Pichilemu, El Puerto, was founded by the sanfernandino
Augusto Ramírez; however, the newspaper did not have much success, but on January 14, 1917, Ramírez began publishing El Marino. Only thirty-three different editions of El Marino were published.
In March 1909, new municipal elections took place, but there were conflicts in the checkup of the results. In September, the Chilean Appeals Court proclaimed Carlos Salas Salas as Mayor of Pichilemu. Francisco Javier Asalgado succeeded him in 1912, but he renounced in June of that year. José Santos Becerra assumed shortly after that.
Promaucaes
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,...
inhabited the modern Pichilemu
Pichilemu
Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...
region. According to Chilean
Chilean people
Chilean people, or simply Chileans, are the native citizens and long-term immigrants of Chile. Chileans are mainly of Spanish and Amerindian descent, with small but significant traces of 19th and 20th century European immigrant origin...
historiographer José Toribio Medina
José Toribio Medina
José Toribio Medina Zavala was a Chilean bibliographer, prolific writer, and historian. He was of Basque descent.-Biography:...
on his book Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu was a 1908 book published by Chilean historiographer José Toribio Medina.Medina presents a report of his examination to indigenous rests found in a Pichilemu grotto by Agustín Ross and Evaristo Merino in 1908...
(1908), Spanish conqueror 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...
gave Topocalma 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....
, in which Pichilemu
Pichilemu
Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...
was supposed to be, to Juan Gómez de Almagro, on January 24, 1544.
The name Pichilemu comes from the Mapudungún
Mapudungun
The Mapuche language, Mapudungun is a language isolate spoken in south-central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche people. It is also spelled Mapuzugun and sometimes called Mapudungu or Araucanian...
words pichi, little, and lemu, forest. Petrel, also known as San Antonio de Petrel, was a hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
located 18 kilometers east of Pichilemu, is known for being the birthplace of José María Caro
José María Caro
José María Caro Rodríguez was a Chilean Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Santiago from 1939 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII....
. The Ortúzar Cuevas family, that owned Petrel hacienda, constructed a dock in 1887 that was burnt in 1891 amidst the Chilean Civil War
Chilean Civil War
The Chilean Civil War of 1891 was an armed conflict between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the sitting President, José Manuel Balmaceda. The war saw a confrontation between the Chilean Army and the Chilean Navy, which had sided with the president and the congress, respectively...
. It was later reconstructed, but finally destructed in 1911. They constructed additionally the first neighborhood in the currently named Daniel Ortúzar Avenue. The city of Pichilemu was officially established on December 22, 1891, by decree of President Jorge Montt
Jorge Montt
Jorge Montt Álvarez was vice-admiral of the Chilean Navy and president of Chile from 1891 to 1896.-Early life:...
and his Interior Minister, Manuel José Irarrázabal.
Agustín Ross
Agustín Ross
Agustín Ross Edwards was a Chilean politician, diplomat, and banker. He was son of David Ross and Carmen Edwards Ossandon; both were of British ancestry. He was married to Susana Ferari.- Biography :Ross studied at the Carlos Black and Simon Kerr School in La Serena...
, a Chilean
Chilean people
Chilean people, or simply Chileans, are the native citizens and long-term immigrants of Chile. Chileans are mainly of Spanish and Amerindian descent, with small but significant traces of 19th and 20th century European immigrant origin...
writer and politician, constructed the Agustín Ross Hotel
Agustín Ross Hotel
The Agustín Ross Park is an old hotel in the Chilean city of Pichilemu. It was created by Agustín Ross Edwards in 1885, and remodeled in December 1987....
, a casino, now Agustín Ross Cultural Centre
Agustín Ross Cultural Centre
The Agustín Ross Cultural Center , formerly known as the Ross Casino , is the cultural center of the city of Pichilemu in O'Higgins Region, Chile. It was constructed between 1906 and 1909 at the request of politician Agustín Ross Edwards...
, the Agustín Ross Balcony
Agustín Ross Balcony
The Ross Balcony is a balcony constructed by Agustín Ross Edwards in 1910. It is located over rocks in the southern part of the beach of Pichilemu, in the Paseo de la Juventud . The waves hit the balcony until the 1960 Valdivia earthquake....
and the Agustín Ross Park
Agustín Ross Park
Agustín Ross Park is a park located in the Agustín Ross Avenue, in front of the old Ross Casino, in Pichilemu. It is a National Monument of Chile.The original park contains 100-year-old native Chilean palms and many green spaces...
, in addition to several perrons. A 119 kilometres (73.9 mi) railway section between San Fernando
San Fernando, Chile
San Fernando is the capital of the province of Colchagua, in central Chile, and the second most populated urban center of the O'Higgins Region. Located close to the Tinguiririca River in a fertile valley, San Fernando sits 1,112 feet above sea level...
and Pichilemu section over a period of 57 years between 1869 and 1926. The Pichilemu railway station
Pichilemu railway station
Pichilemu railway station was a railway station in Pichilemu. It is a wood construction dated circa 1925, located in front of the Petrel Lake, near Daniel Ortúzar Avenue . It remained in operation until the 1990s, and became a National Monument on September 16, 1994. It has since become an arts...
was inaugurated that year.
Cardenal Caro Province
Cardenal Caro Province
Cardenal Caro Province is one of the three provinces of the central Chilean region of O'Higgins . The capital of Cardenal Caro is Pichilemu....
was created by decree of President Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
on September 24, 1979, named in memoriam and in homage to the first Cardinal of the Chilean Catholic Church, José María Caro
José María Caro
José María Caro Rodríguez was a Chilean Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Santiago from 1939 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII....
. Pichilemu is the capital of the province.
Early history
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,...
were the first inhabitants of the Pichilemu
Pichilemu
Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...
area. Promaucaes were hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s and fishermen
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
who lived primarily along the Cachapoal
Cachapoal River
Cachapoal River is tibutary river of the Rapel River in Chile located in the O'Higgins Region. The river gives its name to the Cachapoal Province.- Source :*...
and Maule
Maule river
The Maule river is one of the most important rivers of Chile and is inextricably linked to this country's pre-Hispanic times, the country's conquest, colonial period, wars of Independence, modern history, agriculture , culture , religion, economy and politics...
rivers. Promaucaes also exploited Cáhuil
Cáhuil
Cáhuil is a Chilean village located south of Pichilemu, in the outfall of Nilahue Lake, in the O'Higgins Region. Cáhuil means "seagull's place" in Mapudungun language. The economy is based on the production of coastal salt, oysters, and choros...
salines.
On January 24, 1544, Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
conqueror 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...
gave Juan Gómez de Almagro the Topocalma 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....
in which Pichilemu
Pichilemu
Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...
was supposed to be, according to Chilean
Chilean people
Chilean people, or simply Chileans, are the native citizens and long-term immigrants of Chile. Chileans are mainly of Spanish and Amerindian descent, with small but significant traces of 19th and 20th century European immigrant origin...
historiographer José Toribio Medina
José Toribio Medina
José Toribio Medina Zavala was a Chilean bibliographer, prolific writer, and historian. He was of Basque descent.-Biography:...
on his book Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu was a 1908 book published by Chilean historiographer José Toribio Medina.Medina presents a report of his examination to indigenous rests found in a Pichilemu grotto by Agustín Ross and Evaristo Merino in 1908...
.
In late 16th century, Spanish monks started to plant vineyards in Pichilemu. In 1607, Spanish Governor Alonso García Ramón gave Captain Tomás Duran land near Petrel Lagoon, where Pichilemu
Pichilemu
Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...
is currently located.
In 1611, a piece of land near Topocalma was given by the Captaincy General of Chile to Bartolomé de Rojas y Puebla, who later acquired more lands to establish Hacienda San Antonio de Petrel. Petrel gave Rojas y Puebla and to its successive owners a good income, through the manufacture of leather, jerky, soles, tallow and cordovan, as well as the grazing lease to other farmers, the granting of permits to graze their animals and their care. Products from Petrel were exported to Peru, and sold in 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 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...
. Petrel was also severely affected by drought periods in 1730, 1740 and 1780.
Cáhuil
Cáhuil is a Chilean village located south of Pichilemu, in the outfall of Nilahue Lake, in the O'Higgins Region. Cáhuil means "seagull's place" in Mapudungun language. The economy is based on the production of coastal salt, oysters, and choros...
, the most important area administratively in the current Pichilemu area, had 1,678 inhabitants.
In 1778 a church was constructed in Ciruelos and designated a vice parish. Years later, in 1864, it became a parish. As of 1787, Pichilemu had 1,688 inhabitants.
In late 1860s, the construction of the railway from San Fernando
San Fernando, Chile
San Fernando is the capital of the province of Colchagua, in central Chile, and the second most populated urban center of the O'Higgins Region. Located close to the Tinguiririca River in a fertile valley, San Fernando sits 1,112 feet above sea level...
to Pichilemu
Pichilemu
Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...
was started. It ended in 1926.
In 1872, President of Chile
President of Chile
The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...
Aníbal Pinto
Aníbal Pinto
Aníbal Pinto Garmendia was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile between 1876 and 1881.-Early life:...
commissioned the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
captain Francisco Vidal Gormaz
Francisco Vidal Gormaz
Francisco Vidal Gormaz was a Chilean naval officer and hydrographer who explored the coasts of Chile including some river systems and lakes. During the 1850s he explored and surveyed several times Maullín River with Francisco Hudson...
to perform a survey of the coast between Tumán Creek and Boca del Mataquito. Vidal noted in his research that Matanzas
Matanzas, Chile
Matanzas is a village in Chile, where many surface water sports are practiced, due to its reliable wind conditions and strong waves.-History:...
, Sirenas, Pupuya, Los Piures, and Cáhuil were too open for ferries. He named Tumán, Topocalma, and Pichilemu as places with better hydrographic
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
conditions, and concluded that Pichilemu was the best place to construct a ferry.
San Antonio de Petrel, owned by Ortúzar family these years, was first called "Pichilemu" in 1873, and was described as a village. Ortúzar constructed a dock in 1875, which served as a fishing port for a few years. Pedro Pavez Polanco and Ortúzar Cuevas were large-landholding families, and they built historic homes and buildings, such as Pichilemu post office building
Pichilemu post office building
Pichilemu post office building is a building located in Pichilemu, Chile, which served as the city's post office until February 26, 2010, the day before a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit central Chile. The building was located in front of the Pichilemu Police station...
, over the years.
In 1885, Agustín Ross
Agustín Ross
Agustín Ross Edwards was a Chilean politician, diplomat, and banker. He was son of David Ross and Carmen Edwards Ossandon; both were of British ancestry. He was married to Susana Ferari.- Biography :Ross studied at the Carlos Black and Simon Kerr School in La Serena...
, a Chilean writer, Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
, and politician, bought a 300 hectares (741.3 acre) tract of land and named it La Posada (The Inn). At the time, it was merely a set of thick-walled barracks. Ross constructed the Ross Park
Agustín Ross Park
Agustín Ross Park is a park located in the Agustín Ross Avenue, in front of the old Ross Casino, in Pichilemu. It is a National Monument of Chile.The original park contains 100-year-old native Chilean palms and many green spaces...
and Great Hotel Pichilemu
Agustín Ross Hotel
The Agustín Ross Park is an old hotel in the Chilean city of Pichilemu. It was created by Agustín Ross Edwards in 1885, and remodeled in December 1987....
(Gran Hotel Pichilemu) that year. Great Hotel Pichilemu, currently named Ross Hotel, is one of the oldest hotels in Chile.
In 1887, President José Manuel Balmaceda
José Manuel Balmaceda
José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández was the 11th President of Chile from September 18, 1886 to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile...
decreed Pichilemu as a minor dock. In March 1887, the first merchant ship arrived at Pichilemu. Some years later, during the 1891 Chilean Civil War
Chilean Civil War
The Chilean Civil War of 1891 was an armed conflict between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the sitting President, José Manuel Balmaceda. The war saw a confrontation between the Chilean Army and the Chilean Navy, which had sided with the president and the congress, respectively...
, Daniel Ortúzar and the priest of Alcones
Alcones
Alcones, formerly known as Los Halcones is a Chilean village, currently part of Marchihue, Cardenal Caro Province.It is located south of the village of Sauce; north of Reto; west of Pichilemu; and southeast of Palmilla....
transferred prisoners to and from Pichilemu via the dock, Balmacedian troops, directed by Juan García Valdivieso, moved to Pichilemu, and burned the dock. It was later reconstructed and used until 1912, but did not reach "port" status.
Foundation and early years as Municipality
The Lauriano Gaete and Ninfa Vargas' heirs founded the village of Pichilemu, with the help of engineer Emilio Nichón, who designed the city plan. They shortly started to construct based on the newly designated plan and the Ortúzar neighborhood's one.Shortly after the 1891 Civil War ended, the newly elected President Jorge Montt
Jorge Montt
Jorge Montt Álvarez was vice-admiral of the Chilean Navy and president of Chile from 1891 to 1896.-Early life:...
and his Interior Minister, Manuel José Irarrázabal, promulgated the "law of the autonomous commune", creating a thousand and ninety four communes, including Pichilemu
Pichilemu
Pichilemu , originally known as Pichilemo, is a beach resort city and commune in central Chile, and capital of Cardenal Caro Province. It is located southwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and comprises an urban center and twenty-three villages, such as Ciruelos, Cáhuil, and Espinillo...
.
In 1894, the Municipality was created; Pichilemu covered the territories of current Pumanque
Pumanque
Pumanque is a Chilean commune in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Pumanque spans an area of and has 3,442 inhabitants , making the commune an entirely rural area...
and Marchihue
Marchihue
Marchihue, also known as Marchigüe, is a Chilean town and commune in the Cardenal Caro Province of Chile's sixth region of O'Higgins.-Demographics:...
(at these times, known as Yerbas Buenas); and a group of neighbors and taxpayers held a meeting to elect the first (main), second and third Mayors (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...
s), in addition to a number of regidores. José María Caro Martínez
José María Caro Martínez
José María Caro Martínez was a Chilean politician, Mayor of Pichilemu from 1894 until 1905 and is mostly known for being the father of José María Caro Rodríguez, first Chilean Cardinal of the Catholic Church.- References :...
was elected as the first Mayor of Pichilemu. Caro formalized the city plan in 1894.
Caro Martínez was elected for four consecutive periods: 1894–1897; 1897–1900; 1900–1903; and 1903–1906, but he left the office in 1905. The Second Mayor, Francisco Javier Asalgado succeeded him, and held the office until 1909.
In 1905, Agustín Ross
Agustín Ross
Agustín Ross Edwards was a Chilean politician, diplomat, and banker. He was son of David Ross and Carmen Edwards Ossandon; both were of British ancestry. He was married to Susana Ferari.- Biography :Ross studied at the Carlos Black and Simon Kerr School in La Serena...
constructed a building that hosted the first mail and telegraph service in Pichilemu and a big store. The building had three floors, and was raised using imported materials. The building was opened as the first casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
in Chile on January 20, 1906.
In 1908, Agustín Ross
Agustín Ross
Agustín Ross Edwards was a Chilean politician, diplomat, and banker. He was son of David Ross and Carmen Edwards Ossandon; both were of British ancestry. He was married to Susana Ferari.- Biography :Ross studied at the Carlos Black and Simon Kerr School in La Serena...
and Evaristo Merino reported to historiographer José Toribio Medina
José Toribio Medina
José Toribio Medina Zavala was a Chilean bibliographer, prolific writer, and historian. He was of Basque descent.-Biography:...
the existence of indigenous remains in a Pichileminian cave. Medina asked Argentinian ethnographer Félix Faustino Outes
Félix Faustino Outes
Félix Faustino Outes was an Argentine anthropologist, archeologist and linguist.- Biography :Outes was born in Buenos Aires, and was educated at the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and the University of Buenos Aires, graduating with a medical degree in 1899...
to inspect the remains, and subsequently Medina wrote the book "Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu
Los Restos Indígenas de Pichilemu was a 1908 book published by Chilean historiographer José Toribio Medina.Medina presents a report of his examination to indigenous rests found in a Pichilemu grotto by Agustín Ross and Evaristo Merino in 1908...
", with the complete report Faustino Outes gave him. Earlier that year, on January 16, the first newspaper of Pichilemu, El Puerto, was founded by the sanfernandino
San Fernando, Chile
San Fernando is the capital of the province of Colchagua, in central Chile, and the second most populated urban center of the O'Higgins Region. Located close to the Tinguiririca River in a fertile valley, San Fernando sits 1,112 feet above sea level...
Augusto Ramírez; however, the newspaper did not have much success, but on January 14, 1917, Ramírez began publishing El Marino. Only thirty-three different editions of El Marino were published.
In March 1909, new municipal elections took place, but there were conflicts in the checkup of the results. In September, the Chilean Appeals Court proclaimed Carlos Salas Salas as Mayor of Pichilemu. Francisco Javier Asalgado succeeded him in 1912, but he renounced in June of that year. José Santos Becerra assumed shortly after that.