Temuco is the capital of the
Araucanía RegionThe IX Araucanía Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south....
,
ChileChile, 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...
. The name comes from the
MapudungunMapudungun is a language isolate spoken in central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche people. It is also known as Mapudungu, Mapuche, and Araucanian...
language, meaning "temu water"; "
temu" (Blepharocalyx cruckshankii) is a tree used by
MapucheThe Mapuche are the indigenous inhabitants of Central and Southern Chile and Southern Argentina. They were known as Araucanians by the Spaniards. This is now considered pejorative by the people and the term Mapuche is the one most often used by people in conversation...
s for medicinal purposes. The city is located 670 km south of Santiago. Because it is near lake-based resort centers, it is considered a hub for tourist excursions.
Chilean poetry has deep roots in Temuco. Nobel Poets
Gabriela MistralGabriela Mistral was the pseudonym of Lucila de María del Perpetuo Socorro Godoy Alcayaga, a Chilean poet, educator, diplomat, and feminist who was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1945...
and
Pablo NerudaPablo Neruda was the pen name and, later, legal name of the Chilean writer and politician Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. Neruda assumed his pen name as a teenager, partly because it was in vogue, partly to hide his poetry from his father, a rigid man who wanted his son to have a "practical"...
both lived in Temuco. Mistral was the principal of an all-girls school where Pablo (Neftali Reyes) would visit her and show her his first verses when he was around 15 years old.
History
The city was founded on February 24, 1881 as a fort during the
Occupation of the AraucaníaThe Occupation of Araucanía was a series of military campaigns, agreements and penetrations by the Chilean army and settlers which led to the incorporation of Araucanía into Chilean national territory...
. Manuel Recabarren, in charge of the project, named the place Fuerte (Fort) Recabarren.
Formed as a military encampment, Temuco had in its origins the attributes of a camp, and a year after its founding, the first major streets started to form in the downtown area.
On April 15th, 1888, the first city officers were elected including the first mayor José del Rosario Muñoz. The city grew quickly; a census in 1895 indicated a population of 7,708 people, and when Cautin was declared a province, Temuco became its capital, with its population by that time of 16,037 people.
Geography and climate
Temuco is located in the center-south of Chile, equidistant between the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
and the
AndesThe Andes are the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America...
.
MorphologicallyGeomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them...
, the city placement corresponds to
Cautín RiverThe Cautín is a river in Chile. It rises on the western slopes of the Cordillera de Las Raíces and flows in Araucanía Region. The river's main tributary is the Quepe River.Temuco is located on this river....
-originated fluvial land masses that developed in a crushed form between two hills, Ñielol (350m) and Conunhueno (360m).
The city is surrounded by an environment typical to central-southern Chile, consisting mostly of plantations of coniferous forests in the midst of a central prairie of moraines and cones next to the foothills of the Andes. The zone produces many crops and fruits, and has an abundance of forests, particularly alerce,
robleNothofagus obliqua, is a deciduous tree from Chile and Argentina. It grows from 33 to 43° South Latitude, in Chile and Argentina. The northern extent of this tree's range in Chile is considered to be the Vizcachas Mountains and La Campana National Park.-Description:N. obliqua reaches a height of...
and
linguePersea lingue is a species of plant in the Lauraceae family. It is found in Argentina and Chile. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* González, M. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
. Despite all this, air quality has deteriorated because burning wood is the primary source of heat for most of the city. Air pollution is generally kept under control by the frequent rain in winter.
Climatologically, Temuco corresponds to Chile's central valley Mediterranean region, with more humid and temperate weather. Through the year, cyclonic and anticyclonic influences alternate, with a short dry summer period (when compared to Santiago or other central valley cities). Its mean annual temperature is 12°C, with highest median during the warmest month of 23.5°C and lowest median during the coldest month of 3.9°C (Ciren-Corfo, 1992). Annual mean rain during 1961-1990 (Dirección Meteorológica de Chile, 1991) was 1.157 mm (Capelli de Steffens et al., 1997).
Demographics
Greater Temuco has a population of 260,878 (2002 census), which makes it the second largest city south of Santiago (behind
ConcepciónConcepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Bío-Bío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
), and the sixth largest in the country. One of the distinctive features of Temuco is the strong presence of the Mapuche culture, who make up (13.05%) of the population in the Temuco commune, and numerous
GermanThe German people are an ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent, and speaking the German language as a mother tongue. Within Germany, Germans are defined by citizenship , distinguished from people of German ancestry...
immigrant colonies (29,82%). Temuco proper has a population of 227,086.
Transport
Traffic is frequently congested during working hours and parking on public streets in the downtown sector is difficult to find and is controlled with parking fees being charged. Many streets are one-way, and marked with an arrow, if and when visible or installed.
In residential areas people frequently park on either side of the street, regardless of traffic direction and in some areas vehicles may be seen parked either entirely or partially—with only one side of the vehicle—on the sidewalk or
grassA tree lawn, also called by a variety of dialectical names including sidewalk buffer, boulevard, berm, verge, nature strip, utility strip, planting strip, parkway, or devil's strip , is a small area, often planted with trees and grass, between a street and the sidewalk of that street...
area.
Traffic signals frequently use green arrows to control turns and right hand turns are not permitted when a red light is showing unless there is a specific sign authorizing such a turn.
Drivers often disregard marked traffic lanes and many buses and collective taxis will stop virtually anywhere to take on or discharge passengers.
Buses and
collective taxisA share taxi is a mode of transport that falls between private transport and conventional bus transport, often with a fixed or semi-fixed route, but with the added convenience of stopping anywhere to pick up or drop off passengers and not having fixed time schedules...
are the most popular massive transport. The bus fare is $140 or $170 for students an $350 for adults; the
colectivos charge $400 ($500 at night). Regular
taxisA taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire, with a driver, for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
are also available.
Maquehue AirportMaquehue Airport is an airport located southwest of Temuco, a city in the Araucanía Region of Chile.-Airlines and destinations:* LAN Airlines * Sky Airline...
is commercial air terminal for Temuco located to the South of the city. Because its low capacity, the Chilean Airport Direction is projecting a new and bigger airport for Temuco. It would be located near Freire, about 20 minutes southern from Temuco. At the time there is a controversy because it would be located in
MapucheThe Mapuche are the indigenous inhabitants of Central and Southern Chile and Southern Argentina. They were known as Araucanians by the Spaniards. This is now considered pejorative by the people and the term Mapuche is the one most often used by people in conversation...
areas.
The
railroadA train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway....
connects Temuco with Victoria to the north and points in between.
Temuco does not have a
rapid transitA rapid transit, metro, subway, underground, or elevated railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separated from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically either in underground tunnels or elevated above street level...
rail system.
Important places
Is the principal artery in Temuco. Here we can find The Araucaria Museum building (19th century Chilean style); the Menchaca Lira Campus of Art Building (a
VictorianThe term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of architectural styles predominantly employed during the Victorian era. As with the latter, the period of building that it covers may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria after whom it is...
Style building, recently restored); The English Alley, where we can find the Red Cross Building and a Blue house (Both Victorian styled).
Recently, Alemania Av. has become an important commercial centre. Several restaurants, drug stores, boutiques, supermarkets and two shopping malls have been opened there. There is also a Casino and a five stars hotel in the same avenue.
The core of Downtown Temuco is the
Main SquareMain Square is a complex of four apartment buildings in Toronto, Canada. The three hectare site houses about 2000 people. It is located in the eastern part of the city at the intersection of Main Street and Danforth Avenue. The complex is located just north of the railway lines and the Danforth GO...
Anibal Pinto. Temuco's Main Square is the only one in
ChileChile, 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...
that was not built with a water fountain in its centre; an art gallery was built in 1981 as part of a total renewal. Compared to other main squares of southern Chile, Temuco's main square is modern. It was named one of Chile's most beautiful plazas.
It is a tradition, in all
creoleThe term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kriulo, kriol, krio, kreol, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
cities in Chile, that some specific buildings must be in front of the main square; in Temuco, this tradition was broken. Main Squares are supposed to be surrounded by : a
CathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
(which is in front of Temuco's main square, as traditionally), the
MunicipalityA municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly denotes a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. A municipality is typically governed by a mayor and a city council or municipal council.The notion of municipality...
(which is not located in front of the square, as it should by tradition), a
TheatreTheatre is a branch of the performing arts. While any performance may be considered theatre, as a performing art, it focuses almost exclusively on live performers creating a self contained drama. A performance qualifies as dramatic by creating a representational illusion...
(there is a film theatre in front of it, but is relatively new), a
Fire StationA fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
(there is not a fire station in front of the square, as it should),a
SchoolA school , is an institution designed to allow and encourage students to learn, under the supervision of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
(there is no school in front of the main square), and a
BankA bank is a financial institution licensed by a government. Its primary activities include borrowing and lending money.Many other financial activities were allowed over time. For example banks are important players in financial markets and offer financial services such as investment funds...
(there are four banks around the main square)
The Ñielol Hill represents the original forest of the whole southern Chile area as it was before the Spanish people colonize it. It has also a special meaning for the
MapucheThe Mapuche are the indigenous inhabitants of Central and Southern Chile and Southern Argentina. They were known as Araucanians by the Spaniards. This is now considered pejorative by the people and the term Mapuche is the one most often used by people in conversation...
population. We can also find a restaurant at the top and a viewpoint of the east side of the city and Padre Las Casas, across the river. It is a "must" for visitors. The
Southern Andean Volcano Observatory200px|thumb|right|[[Llaima]]'s 2008 eruption as viewed from [[Temuco]]The Southern Andean Volcano Observatory , also known by its acronyms as OVDAS, is a program of the Chilean National Geology and Mining Service to watch the most dangerous volcanoes of the Southern Volcanic Zone in Zona Sur and...
has its office there.
Other features
The central market is one of the best places to get Mapuche crafts. It has a meat market and shops selling woodcrafts, artifacts, wool knits, and similar goods.
Spanish
English