Yerbas Buenas
Encyclopedia
Yerbas Buenas is a Chile
an town and commune in Linares Province
, Maule Region
. It lies in the geographical center of the country, on the fertile
central
plain
, some 300 km (186 mi) south of the national capital of Santiago
, 50 km (31 mi) south of Talca
, the regional
capital and 12 km (7 mi) north of Linares
, the provincial
capital.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Yerbas Buenas had a population of 16,134 (8,380 men and 7,754 women). Of these, 1,595 (9.9%) lived in urban area
s (the town of Yerbas Buenas), and 14,539 (90.1%) lived in rural areas. The population grew 4.1% (634 persons) between the censuses of 1992 and 2002.
or "depresión intermedia", (Chilean Central Valley
). Yerbas Buenas is bordered on the west by San Javier
and Villa Alegre
, on the north by San Clemente
, (Talca Province
); on the east, by Colbún
, and on the south, by Linares
.
Geographic Coordinates
and distinctive Spanish-style architecture
. The town is a typical example of the preserved rural colonial
architecture found sometimes in small towns and in large hacienda
s (estates) in Latin America
. Whole streets are composed only of Spanish-style buildings from the colonial period, which is very rare in Chile.
. This was the house where the Spanish
brigadier
Antonio Pareja, commander
of the royalist army, stayed on the night of April 26, 1813, the eve of the first significant military encounter between the royalist and the patriot
armies in the independence struggle of Chile. Colonel
Juan de Dios Puga, commander of the patriot force, was killed in the battle as was one third of his army. This building became a National Historic Monument
on August 22, 1984 and the sector of the town around the building has been declared a "Typical Zone" (Zona típica).
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Luis Guzmán Trujillo (PRSD
).The municipal council has the following members:
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Yerbas Buenas is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Jorge Tarud (PDC
) and Romilio Gutiérrez (UDI) as part of the 39th electoral district, (together with Linares, Colbún
, San Javier
and Villa Alegre
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Hernán Larraín
(UDI) and Ximena Rincón González (PDC) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).
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...
an town and commune in Linares Province
Linares Province
Linares is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule . The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares.-Administration:...
, Maule Region
Maule Region
The VII Maule Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region takes its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a basin of about 20,600 km2...
. It lies in the geographical center of the country, on the fertile
Fertile
The term fertile describes a condition whereby organisms are able to produce physically healthy offspring.Fertile may also refer to:...
central
Chilean Central Valley
The Central Valley , Intermediate Depression or Longitudinal Valley is the depression between the Chilean Costal Range and the Andes Mountains. The central valley should not be confused with Central Chile that encompasses part of the valley...
plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
, some 300 km (186 mi) south of the national capital of 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...
, 50 km (31 mi) south of Talca
Talca
Talca is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region . As of the 2002 census, the city had a population of 193,755....
, the regional
Maule Region
The VII Maule Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region takes its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a basin of about 20,600 km2...
capital and 12 km (7 mi) north of Linares
Linares, Chile
Linares is a Chilean city and commune located in the Maule Region and lies in the fertile Chilean Central Valley, south of Santiago and south of Talca, the regional capital...
, the provincial
Linares Province
Linares is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule . The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares.-Administration:...
capital.
Demography
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...
, Yerbas Buenas had a population of 16,134 (8,380 men and 7,754 women). Of these, 1,595 (9.9%) 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 (the town of Yerbas Buenas), and 14,539 (90.1%) lived in rural areas. The population grew 4.1% (634 persons) between the censuses of 1992 and 2002.
Geography
The commune covers an area of 262.1 sqkm. Its entire territory lies within the central plainPlain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
or "depresión intermedia", (Chilean Central Valley
Chilean Central Valley
The Central Valley , Intermediate Depression or Longitudinal Valley is the depression between the Chilean Costal Range and the Andes Mountains. The central valley should not be confused with Central Chile that encompasses part of the valley...
). Yerbas Buenas is bordered on the west by San Javier
San Javier, Chile
San Javier is a Chilean city and commune located in the Province of Linares, Maule Region. The city lies in the geographical center of the country, some south of Santiago, to the northwest of the provincial capital, Linares, and to the south of Talca, the regional capital...
and Villa Alegre
Villa Alegre, Chile
Villa Alegre a commune and city located in Linares Province, Maule Region of Chile. With , Villa Alegre is the smallest commune by area in the Maule Region. It sits above sea level.-Demographics:...
, on the north by San Clemente
San Clemente, Chile
San Clemente is a city and commune administered by the municipality of San Clemente, located in the Talca Province of Chile's Maule Region.-Demographics:...
, (Talca Province
Talca Province
Talca Province is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule . Its capital is the city of Talca.-Administration:As a province, Talca is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed by a provincial governor who is appointed by the president.-Communes:The province...
); on the east, by Colbún
Colbún
Colbún is a Chilean town and commune in Linares Province, Maule Region. The commune has a population of over 17,000 inhabitants and covers an area of , making it the province's largest. Its capital, the town of Colbún, has 3,679 inhabitants...
, and on the south, by Linares
Linares, Chile
Linares is a Chilean city and commune located in the Maule Region and lies in the fertile Chilean Central Valley, south of Santiago and south of Talca, the regional capital...
.
Geographic Coordinates
- Altitude: 139 m (456 ft)
- Latitude: 35º 45' 00" S
- Longitude: 71º 34' 00" W
Heritage
Yerbas Buenas is a historical town with a cultural heritageCultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
and distinctive Spanish-style architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. The town is a typical example of the preserved rural colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
architecture found sometimes in small towns and in large 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...
s (estates) in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. Whole streets are composed only of Spanish-style buildings from the colonial period, which is very rare in Chile.
Historical Museum
The Historical Museum of Yerbas Buenas is housed in a preserved, colonial building that is not only one of the oldest surviving in the town and province but also a silent witness of the dawn of Chile's independenceChilean Independence
Chilean War of Independence was an armed conflict between pro-Independence criollos who sought political and economic independence from Spain and royalist criollos, who supported the continued allegiance to and permanence within the Spanish Empire of the Kingdom of Chile...
. This was the house where 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...
brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Antonio Pareja, commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of the royalist army, stayed on the night of April 26, 1813, the eve of the first significant military encounter between the royalist and the patriot
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
armies in the independence struggle of Chile. Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Juan de Dios Puga, commander of the patriot force, was killed in the battle as was one third of his army. This building became a National Historic Monument
National Monuments of Chile
The National Monuments of Chile , also abbreviated MN, are the constructions, elements and places that form part of the country's cultural heritage, and they are protected by law...
on August 22, 1984 and the sector of the town around the building has been declared a "Typical Zone" (Zona típica).
Administration
As a commune, Yerbas Buenas 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 Luis Guzmán Trujillo (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....
).The municipal council has the following members:
- Eliana Parada Yáñez (PSSocialist Party of ChileThe 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...
) - Mariano Sanhueza Retamal (PRI)
- Sergio Muñoz Espinoza (PRSDSocial Democrat Radical PartyThe Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
) - Eva Palma Leal (RNNational 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...
) - Fernando Arturo Astete Mendiburo (ILA)
- Oscar Bonilla Menchaca (UDI)
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Yerbas Buenas 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 Jorge Tarud (PDC
Christian Democratic Party
Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
) and Romilio Gutiérrez (UDI) as part of the 39th electoral district, (together with Linares, Colbún
Colbún
Colbún is a Chilean town and commune in Linares Province, Maule Region. The commune has a population of over 17,000 inhabitants and covers an area of , making it the province's largest. Its capital, the town of Colbún, has 3,679 inhabitants...
, San Javier
San Javier, Chile
San Javier is a Chilean city and commune located in the Province of Linares, Maule Region. The city lies in the geographical center of the country, some south of Santiago, to the northwest of the provincial capital, Linares, and to the south of Talca, the regional capital...
and Villa Alegre
Villa Alegre, Chile
Villa Alegre a commune and city located in Linares Province, Maule Region of Chile. With , Villa Alegre is the smallest commune by area in the Maule Region. It sits above sea level.-Demographics:...
). 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 Hernán Larraín
Hernán Larraín
Hernán Larraín Fernández is a conservative Chilean lawyer, university lecturer, and politician; he is a current Senator and former President of the Senate, and is also currently serving as the president of the Independent Democrat Union. Larraín was elected to the Senate representing the 11th...
(UDI) and Ximena Rincón González (PDC) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).