Curicó (), meaning "Black Waters" in

Mapudungun Mapuche (, Mapuche & Spanish: , or Mapudungun; from ' 'land' and ' 'speak, speech') is an Araucanian language related to Huilliche spoken in south-central Chile and west-central Argentina by the Mapuche people (from ''mapu'' 'land' and ''che ...

(originally meaning "Land of Black Water"), is the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of the

Curicó Province Curicó Province ( es, Provincia de Curicó) is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). Its capital is the city of Curicó. It lies between the provinces of Colchagua and Talca and extends from the Pacific to the Arg ...

, part of the

Maule Region The Maule Region ( es, Región del Maule, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region derives its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a ...

in Chile's central valley. The province lies between the provinces of Colchagua and Talca and extends from the Pacific to the

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

frontier.

Demographics

According to the 2012 census of the

National Statistics Institute National Institute of Statistics may refer to: *National Institute of Statistics of Bolivia *National Institute of Statistics of Cambodia *National Institute of Statistics and Census of Costa Rica *National Institute of Statistics and Census of Nica ...

, Curicó spans an area of and has 147,017 inhabitants (68,768 men and 70,817 women). Of these, 130,506 (84%) lived in urban areas and 19,079 (16%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 14.9% (15,472 persons).

Geography

Curicó is on the Guaiquillo River, south of Santiago along the route of the Chilean Central Railway. The city is situated in the fertile

Chilean Central Valley The Central Valley ( es, Valle Central), Intermediate Depression, or Longitudinal Valley is the depression between the Chilean Coastal Range and the Andes Mountains. The Chilean Central Valley extends from the border with Peru to Puerto Montt in s ...

, above sea-level, in the midst of a comparatively well-cultivated region. The eastern and western sides are mountainous, separated by the Chilean Central Valley. A volcano called

Descabezado Grande Descabezado Grande (also ''Cerro Azul'' or ''Quizapu''WebpagOVDAS, about Descabezado Grande, retrieved on 28 October 2013) is a stratovolcano located in the Maule Region of central Chile. It is capped by a ice-filled caldera and named for its fl ...

can be seen from most parts at a distance of eighty kilometers. The commune spans an area of. The main rivers are the

Lontué River The Lontué River is a river in the province of Curicó in Chile. It originates about 50 km east of Curicó, at the confluence of the Colorado River and the Los Patos River. Both rivers have their origin next to the volcanos Descabezado Ch ...

and

Teno River The Teno River is a river located in the Maule Region of central Chile. It begins at the confluence of the ''Malo'' and '' Nacimiento'' rivers. The former originates north of Planchón volcano at Lagunas de Teno. The river flows initially north ...

, which surround the city. The landscape is dominated by the Andes and Chilean Coastal Range.

Climate

Curicó has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification ''Csb''), relatively hot dry

summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...

s (November to March) with temperatures reaching on the hottest days. Winters (June to August) are more humid, with typical maximum daily temperatures of . Mean rainfall is per year. In August 2007, Curicó experienced snowfall for the first time in over 60 years. In the southern part of the valley the climate is more temperate and rainfall more abundant; the effects of this are to be seen in better pasturage. Irrigation is used to a large extent.

History

Curicó was founded in 1743 by Jose Manso de Velasco during the Spanish reign in the Americas (see Captaincy General of Chile). In 1747, Governor Domingo Ortiz de Rozas decided to move it about to the north, where it is now located, because of the humidity in its original location. The oldest and most valuable building of the city is ''La Iglesia San Francisco'' (San Francisco's Church), built in 1734, and came to its current location in 1759. Curicó gained the title of "city" in 1830. The city's hero is

Luis Cruz Martínez Luis Cruz Martinez (Villa de Molina Chile, 5 August 1866 – Concepción, Junín, Concepción, Perú, 10 July 1882) was a lieutenant of the 6th. second company of Regiment "Chacabuco" and hero of the Battle of La Concepción, during the War of ...

, a Chilean soldier from the War of the Pacific, who died in 1882 in

Perú , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy fo ...

. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1928 and rebuilt during the following year. The city was badly damaged in the February 2010 earthquake. An

Argentine Air Force Mobile Field Hospital The Argentine Air Force Mobile Field Hospital ( es, Hospital Reubicable de la Fuerza Aérea ) is a field hospital operated by the Argentine Air Force. Established on August 21, 1981, it is one of three health centres of its kind worldwide. Descri ...

, similar to the one deployed in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

was deployed to the city and remained on site until September

Economy

The city's economy is based mainly on agriculture. The Mediterranean-type climate encourages crops of orchard fruit and viticulture. Other industries are cement and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

production. In human development the city had 0.716 ( UNDP, Chile 2000), reaching the 97th position in the municipalities of Chile

Tourism and Society

Between March 15 and 20 each year, the city celebrates a wine celebration: the ''Fiesta de la Vendimia'' (Wine Harvest Festival). The region has a ''La Ruta del Vino'' (The Wine Route), in Curicó Valley. It is also known as "the city of cakes" (made from manjar, meringue and fruit). The ''Plaza de Armas'' (Main Square) is the most visited

public place A public space is a place that is open and accessible to the general public. Roads (including the pavement), public squares, parks, and beaches are typically considered public space. To a limited extent, government buildings which are open to ...

(declared a "Typical Zone"). There is a monument to Lautaro carved on the trunk of a beech tree, created by the craftsman of Vichuquén, Heraclio "Kako" Calquín. Located around ''Plaza de Armas'' are the mayor's house (''alcaldía'') and the governor's house. A few blocks from the plaza, the Alameda Antonio Manso de Velasco avenue crosses the city with its gardens and leafy trees. There is also the Condell hill, a place which offers a panoramic view of the city and the San Francisco church. Potrero Grande is a mountainous area with large forests and waterfalls, popular for hiking, located about from Curicó. Image:Curico 16.jpg, The main parish church around main square. Image:Curico 14.jpg, Luis Cruz Martínez, hero from Curicó. Image:Iglesia san francisco curico.JPG, San Francisco Church, before being destroyed in the 2010 earthquake Image:Alameda Curico 2012.jpg, Curicó, Alameda, 2012 Image:En el cerro condell.jpg, Cerro Condell, Curicó Image:Municipalidad curico.jpg, Correos de Chile (Post office) and Curicó's Municipalidad (City hall) Image:Kiosk de curico.jpg, Kiosk in Curicó's Plaza de Armas

Education

The city has two universities: * Universidad de Talca (Traditional-Public)

*

Universidad Católica del Maule Catholic University of Maule ( es, Universidad Católica del Maule, UCM) is a university in Maule, Chile. It is a derivative university part of the Chilean Traditional Universities. This university was created in 1991, in what was the former Tal ...

(Traditional-Religious)

Higher-education institutions: * Instituto Profesional DuocUC of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile * Instituto Profesional AIEP of the

Universidad Andrés Bello Universidad (Spanish for "university") may refer to: Places * Universidad, San Juan, Puerto Rico * Universidad (Madrid) Football clubs * Universidad SC, a Guatemalan football club that represents the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala ...

Media

The city has one of the oldest newspapers in Chile, ''

La Prensa de Curicó LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

(Press of Curico)'', founded in 1898.La Prensa de Curicó
/ref> Before the earthquake of 2010, its offices were located in front of the central square, but have been relocated since because the building collapsed. Image:Victoria Theatre.jpg, Victoria Theatre Image:Diario la prensa casa matriz.JPG, ''Diario La Prensa''

Notable people

* Jorge Eduardo Álvarez (born 1990), Chilean footballer

Sports

Curicó is known for its bicycle culture. Many Chilean cyclists of international level started riding in the city, such as

Marco Arriagada Marco Antonio Arriagada Quinchel (born October 30, 1975 in Curicó) is a Chilean professional racing cyclist. He is the brother of cyclist Marcelo Arriagada. He carried the flag for his native country at the opening ceremony of the 2007 Pan Am ...

Marcelo Arriagada Marcelo Arriagada Quinchel (born 22 August 1973) is a male professional track cyclist, track and road bicycle racing, road cyclist from Chile. An older brother of Marco Arriagada he competed for his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in ...

and

Luis Fernando Sepúlveda Luis Fernando Sepúlveda Villar (born April 8, 1974) is a male professional track and road racing cyclist from Chile. He won a gold medal for his native country at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He ...

. The local football team is

Club Provincial Curicó Unido Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

Administration

As a commune, Curicó 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, headed by an

alcalde Alcalde (; ) 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'' (the municipal council) a ...

who is directly elected every four years. Currently, the 2012-2016 alcalde is Javier Muñoz Riquelme. Within the

electoral divisions of Chile Chile has two distinct electoral division systems: * To elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate, Chile is divided into several electoral divisions, namely electoral districts and senatorial constituencies. * To elect members of ...

, Curicó 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 Bourbon R ...

by Roberto León (

PDC PDC may refer to: In science and technology Chemistry, biology and medicine * Phosducin, a human protein and gene in the retina * Pyridinium dichromate (Cornforth reagent), a chromium-based oxidant * Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, an enzyme ...

) and Celso Morales ( UDI) as part of the 36th electoral district, together with Teno, Romeral, Molina, Sagrada Familia, Hualañé, Licantén, Vichuquén and Rauco. 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 Juan Antonio Coloma Correa (UDI) and Andrés Zaldívar Larraín (PDC) as part of the 10th senatorial constituency (Maule-North).

Sources

*

''History of Curicó'' by Tomás Guevara

Information about cultural life and tourism.

Report about urbanization in Latin American cities.

External links

*
Official Website
*
News about Curico

Satellite Images of Curico by ''Google Maps''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curico Populated places in Curicó Province Capitals of Chilean provinces Communes of Chile Populated places established in 1743 1743 establishments in the Spanish Empire