Curaco de Vélez is a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

an commune in

Chiloé Archipelago The Chiloé Archipelago (, , ) is a group of islands lying off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and the Gulf of Corcovado in the s ...

which is part of

Chiloé Province Chiloé Province () is one of the four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Los Lagos (X). It consists of all of Chiloé Archipelago (including Chiloé Island) with the exception of the Desertores Islands. The province spans a surface ar ...

and

Los Lagos Region Los Lagos Region ( , 'Region of the Lakes') is one of regions of Chile, Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé Province, Chiloé, Llanquihue Province, Llanquihue, Osorno Provin ...

. The commune is located in western Quinchao Island while the eastern part is administered by the commune of

Quinchao Quinchao is a Chilean commune located in Chiloé Province, Los Lagos Region. The seat of government lies in the town of Achao on the island. Geography The commune of Quinchao includes most of the Quinchao Island (sharing its territory with the ...

History

Curaco is proud of its association with several famous Chilean sailors. From the War of the Pacific are Admiral Galvarino Riveros and Rear Admiral Manuel Oyarzún. Also remembered is Carlos Miller Norton navigator of the Goleta

Ancud Ancud () is a city in southern Chile located in the northernmost part of the island and province of Chiloé, in Los Lagos Region. It is the second largest city of Chiloé Archipelago after Castro. The city was established in 1768 to function as ...

that took possession of the Straights of Magellan in 1843 for Chile.

Hydrographer Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary ...

and explorer

Francisco Hudson Punta Arenas by sea from Ancud, and in orange Hudson's proposed route. The red dot shows the 20 km wide Ofqui Isthmus the only obstacle that makes this route intransitable. --> Francisco Hudson Cárdenas (July 1, 1826 in Curaco de Vélez, Chile – ...

was also native to the town. Galvarino Riveros Cárdenas was born in Changüitad. In his career he cruised the entire coastline of Chile caring out many delicate and important missions. He served the country with distinction in the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

(1879). On 13 and 15 January 1881, in command of his squadron, Riveros provided protective fire for the army assault that defeated the

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian forces leading to the surrender of

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

and

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists ...

Architecture

In 1660 the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

noted simple dwellings here. The first haphazard buildings were of timber and straw. By 1724 the population was 262 made up of 33 families. By the beginning of the 20th century it had not grown much and the settlement was small and poor without streets or landing places. In 1901 Bishop Ramón Angel Jara created the parish and took up the task of giving it a structure that would allow for future growth. One of the attractions for a visitor is the characteristic vernacular architecture of Chiloé that makes good use of features such as balconies and lookouts that create an air of simplicity and originality. Churches dating from the 18th and 19th century reflect a strong faith. These are constructed of timber from the noble alerce and cypress trees.

Demographics

According to the 2002

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of the National Statistics Institute, Curaco de Vélez spans an area of and has 3,403 inhabitants (1,642 men and 1,761 women), making the commune an entirely

rural area In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

. The population grew by 12.6% (382 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Curaco de Vélez is a third-level

administrative division of Chile The administrative division or territorial organization of Chile exemplifies characteristics of a unitary state. State administration is functionally and geographically decentralized, as appropriate for each authority in accordance with the law ...

administered by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

, headed by an

alcalde ''Alcalde'' (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and Administration (government), administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor (position), corregidor, the presiding officer o ...

who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Luis Curumilla Sotomayor ( PDC). Within the

electoral divisions of Chile This article covers the electoral division of Chile, which involves two distinct systems: # Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Chamber of Deputies and Senate of Chile, Senate: Chile is divided into electoral districts and senatorial constituencies for ...

, Curaco de Vélez is represented in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

by Gabriel Ascencio (PDC) and Alejandro Santana ( RN) as part of the 58th electoral district, together with Castro,

Quemchi Quemchi is a Chilean town and commune in Los Lagos Region, in Chiloé Province, on the eastern shore of Chiloé Island. It acquired reputation because the famous Chilean writer Francisco Coloane was born near the town. The town is served by Q ...

Dalcahue Dalcahue is a port city and a commune in Chiloé Province, on Chiloé Island, Los Lagos Region, Chile. Demographics According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, the Dalcachue commune spans an area of and had 10,693 inhab ...

Puqueldón Puqueldón is a Chilean Communes of Chile, commune in Chiloé Archipelago which is part of Chiloé Province and Los Lagos Region. The commune is located on Lemuy Island and consists of eight villages the biggest of which is Puqueldón. Puqueldón ...

Chonchi Chonchi is a Chilean List of towns in Chile, town and Communes of Chile, commune located in Los Lagos Region. The commune consists of the town of Chonchi and the following villages: * Rauco * Quinched * Vilupulli * Teupa * Terao * Petanes * Notue ...

Queilén Queilén is a town and commune in Chiloé Province, in the Archipelago of Chiloé in southern Chile. It covers a portion of the southeast of the Greater Island of Chiloé, between the communes of Chonchi, Quellón, Tranqui Island and Acuy Isla ...

Quellón Quellón is a Chilean port List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in Chiloé Province, in southern Chiloé Island, Los Lagos Region. It is one of the southern end-stations of the Panamerican Highway and the Pacific Coastal Hi ...

Chaitén Chaitén (, ) is a Chilean List of towns in Chile, town, Communes of Chile, commune and former capital of the Palena Province in Los Lagos Region. The town is north of the mouth of Yelcho River, on the east coast of the Gulf of Corcovado. The town ...

Hualaihué Hualaihué () is a Chilean commune located in Palena Province, Los Lagos Region. The communal capital is the town of Hornopirén. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Hualaihué spans an area of and h ...

, Futaleufú and Palena. The commune is represented in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

by Camilo Escalona Medina ( PS) and Carlos Kuschel Silva (RN) as part of the 17th senatorial constituency (Los Lagos Region).

References

*"Apuntes históricos de Curaco de Vélez", Carlos Oyarzún Cárdenas, Inscripción intelectual n°144265.

External links

Spanish

Municipality of Curaco de Vélez
*
Portal histórico y cultural de Curaco de Vélez

Portal informativo y turístico de la Isla Quinchao
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curaco de Velez Communes of Chile Chiloé Archipelago