Cañete
Encyclopedia
Cañete is a city and commune in Chile
in Arauco Province
, Biobío Region. It's located 135 km to the south of Concepción
.
founded the Tucapel Fort, near the present city of Cañete. In 1553, after destroying the fort, the native Mapuche
defeated the Spanish
army here in the Battle of Tucapel
, and killed Pedro de Valdivia. The city of Cañete was later founded between December of 1557 and January of 1558 by the Governor García Hurtado de Mendoza with the name of Cañete de la Frontera three kilometers to the west of the present location of the city. Cañete was named after Mendoza's father, Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete
, Viceroy of Peru
.
Disastrous military defeats forced governor Francisco de Villagra
to order the city to be abandoned in January of 1563. A new foundation of the city, ordered by Rodrigo de Quiroga
in 1566 did not prosper either due to the constant attacks by the Mapuche. The present city was founded on the 12th of November 1868 by colonel Cornelio Saavedra Rodriguez
as part of the pacification of Araucanía
. In 1960, Cañete came to prominence for being the town closest to the epi-center of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the strongest earthquake recorded.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Cañete spans an area of 760.4 sqkm and has 31,270 inhabitants (15,625 men and 15,645 women). Of these, 19,839 (63.4%) lived in urban area
s and 11,431 (36.6%) in rural areas. The population grew by 6.6% (1,947 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Projections indicated that the population in 2009 was 33,535 inhabitants.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Jorge Radonich Barra (ILE), and the council has formed by the following members: Luis Viveros Gajardo (PRSD
), Flor Weisse Novoa (UDI
), Pilar Fica Gallardo (PDC
), Daniel Jana Torres (PS
), Verónica Sandoval Ruiz (RN
) and Oscar Leal Aravena (PRSD
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Cañete is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Manuel Monsalve (PS) and Iván Norambuena (UDI) as part of the 46th electoral district, (together with Lota
, Lebu
, Arauco
, Curanilahue
, Los Álamos
, Contulmo
and Tirúa
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz -Esquide Jara (PDC) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Coast).
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...
in Arauco Province
Arauco Province
Arauco Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Biobío . It spans a coastal area of just south of the mouth of the Biobío River, the traditional demarcation between the nation's major natural regions, Zona Central and Zona Sur...
, Biobío Region. It's located 135 km to the south of Concepción
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...
.
History
In 1552, Pedro de ValdiviaPedro 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...
founded the Tucapel Fort, near the present city of Cañete. In 1553, after destroying the fort, the native Mapuche
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
defeated the 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...
army here in the Battle of Tucapel
Battle of Tucapel
The Battle of Tucapel is the name given to a battle fought between Spanish conquistador forces led by Pedro de Valdivia and Mapuche Indians under Lautaro that took place at Tucapel, Chile on December 25, 1553...
, and killed Pedro de Valdivia. The city of Cañete was later founded between December of 1557 and January of 1558 by the Governor García Hurtado de Mendoza with the name of Cañete de la Frontera three kilometers to the west of the present location of the city. Cañete was named after Mendoza's father, Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete
Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza, 3rd Marquis of Cañete
Andrés Hurtado de Mendoza y Cabrera, 3rd Marquis of Cañete was a Spanish military officer and, from June 29, 1556 to his death on March 30, 1561, the fifth Viceroy of Peru.-Origins and military career:...
, Viceroy of Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Disastrous military defeats forced governor Francisco de Villagra
Francisco de Villagra
Francisco de Villagra Velázquez was a Spanish conquistador, and three times governor of Chile.-Early life:Born at [Santervás de Campos], he was the son of Alvaro de Sarría and Ana Velázquez de Villagra, who were not married. For this reason he took the name of his mother...
to order the city to be abandoned in January of 1563. A new foundation of the city, ordered by Rodrigo de Quiroga
Rodrigo de Quiroga
Rodrigo de Quiroga López de Ulloa was a Spanish conquistador of Galician origin. He was twice the Royal Governor of Chile.-Early life:...
in 1566 did not prosper either due to the constant attacks by the Mapuche. The present city was founded on the 12th of November 1868 by colonel Cornelio Saavedra Rodriguez
Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez
Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez was a Chilean politician and military figure who played a major role in the Occupation of the Araucanía....
as part of the pacification of Araucanía
Occupation of the Araucanía
The 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...
. In 1960, Cañete came to prominence for being the town closest to the epi-center of the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, the strongest earthquake recorded.
Demographics
According to the 2002 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of the National Statistics Institute
National Statistics Institute (Chile)
The National Statistics Institute of Chile is a state-run organization of the Government of Chile, created in the second half of the 19th century and tasked with performing a general census of population and housing, then collecting, producing and publishing official demographic statistics of...
, Cañete spans an area of 760.4 sqkm and has 31,270 inhabitants (15,625 men and 15,645 women). Of these, 19,839 (63.4%) lived in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s and 11,431 (36.6%) in rural areas. The population grew by 6.6% (1,947 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Projections indicated that the population in 2009 was 33,535 inhabitants.
Administration
As a commune, Cañete is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal councilMunicipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, headed by an 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...
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Jorge Radonich Barra (ILE), and the council has formed by the following members: Luis Viveros Gajardo (PRSD
Social Democrat Radical Party
The Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
), Flor Weisse Novoa (UDI
Independent Democrat Union
The Independent Democrat Union is a Chilean right-wing, conservative political party, founded in 1983. Its main inspirer was the lawyer, politician and law professor Jaime Guzmán, a former senator of the Republic of Chile from 1990 until his assassination on April 1, 1991.Its ideological origins...
), Pilar Fica Gallardo (PDC
Christian Democrat Party of Chile
The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats....
), Daniel Jana Torres (PS
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
), Verónica Sandoval Ruiz (RN
National Renewal (Chile)
National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
) and Oscar Leal Aravena (PRSD
Social Democrat Radical Party
The Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Cañete is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution....
by Manuel Monsalve (PS) and Iván Norambuena (UDI) as part of the 46th electoral district, (together with Lota
Lota, Chile
Lota is a city and commune located in the center of the Chile on the Gulf of Arauco. It lies within the Concepción Province of the Biobío Region.-History:...
, Lebu
Lebu, Chile
Lebu is a port city and commune in central Chile administered by the Municipality of Lebu. Lebu is also the capital of Arauco Province in Bío-Bío Region...
, Arauco
Arauco, Chile
Arauco is a city and commune in Chile, located in Arauco Province in the Biobio Region. The meaning of Arauco means Chalky Water in Mapudungun. The region was a Moluche aillarehue...
, Curanilahue
Curanilahue
Curanilahue is a Chilean commune and city in Arauco Province, Biobío Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Curanilahue spans an area of and has 31,943 inhabitants . Of these, 30,126 lived in urban areas and 1,817 in rural areas...
, Los Álamos
Los Álamos
Los Álamos is a Chilean commune and city in Arauco Province, Biobío Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Los Álamos spans an area of and has 18,632 inhabitants . Of these, 16,394 lived in urban areas and 2,238 in rural areas...
, Contulmo
Contulmo
Contulmo is a Chilean town and commune in Arauco Province, Biobío Region. Colonized by Germans of Berlin since 1884.-Geography:...
and Tirúa
Tirúa
Tirúa is a Chilean commune and town in Arauco Province, Biobío Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Tirúa spans an area of and has 9,664 inhabitants . Of these, 2,508 lived in urban areas and 7,156 in rural areas...
). The commune is represented in the Senate
Senate of Chile
The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
by Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz -Esquide Jara (PDC) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Coast).
Notable citizens
- Juan Antonio RíosJuan Antonio RíosJuan Antonio Ríos Morales was a Chilean political figure, and President of Chile from 1942 to 1946, during the height of World War II. He died in office.-Early life:...
, Chilean politician and lawyer, President of ChilePresident of ChileThe 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...
(1942 - 1946)