Linares is a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an city and

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

located in 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 ...

and lies in the

fertile Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertilit ...

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 ...

, south of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

and south of

Talca Talca () is a List of cities in Chile, city and Communes of Chile, commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, Chile, Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region (7th Region of Chile). As of the 2012 census, the ...

, the

regional In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

capital. Linares is the capital city of the

province of Linares Linares ( es, Provincia de Linares) is one of four Provinces of Chile, provinces of the central Chilean Regions of Chile, region of Maule Region, Maule (VII). The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares, Chile, Linares. ...

Demographics

According to the 2002 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 ...

, Linares spans an area of and has 83,249 inhabitants (40,518 men and 42,731 women). Of these, 68,224 (82%) lived in urban areas and 15,025 (18%) in

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 typically are descri ...

s. The population grew by 7.7% (5,933 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Geography

The municipality covers an area of and the city proper, . The rivers

Ancoa Ancoa is a river, tributary of the Achibueno, in Linares Province, Maule Region of Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the close ...

, Putagán and

Achibueno Achibueno is a river, tributary of the Loncomilla, in Linares Province, Maule Region of Chile, where it forms the border between the municipalities of Linares, Chile, Linares and Longaví. It is born from the homonym glacial lake, situated to the ...

are the main rivers that pass through the municipality or form its natural borders. Most of the territory of the municipality is located within the central plain or "depresión intermedia" ( Valle Central de Chile). Some low altitude hills are located in the westernmost part of the municipality, while its easternmost part is marked by the presence of the foothills of the

Andes The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...

mountains. The municipality of Linares is bordered on the west by San Javier; on the north by Villa Alegre,

Yerbas Buenas Yerbas Buenas is a Chilean town and commune in Linares Province, Maule Region. It lies in the geographical center of the country, on the fertile central plain, some south of the national capital of Santiago, south of Talca, the regional capita ...

and

Colbún Colbún (Mapudungun: "Cleaning of the land") is a Chilean List of towns in Chile, town and Communes of Chile, commune in Linares Province, Maule Region. The commune has a population of over 17,000 inhabitants and covers an area of , making it the ...

; on the east, by Colbún, and on the south, by

Longaví Longaví (in Mapudungun: ''snake's head'') is a Chilean city and commune located in Linares Province, one of the four provinces that make up the Maule Region, in the geographical center of Chile. Geography The commune has a surface of and is bo ...

. The municipality of

occupies the easternmost strip of the province, where some of the highest provincial peaks are located, as are the sources of several of the main rivers.

Climate

Linares has a mild

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: Csb). The summers are hot and mainly dry (November to March) with temperatures reaching up to 32 -33 degrees Celsius on the hottest days. The winters (late May to mid September) tend to be rather humid and rainy, with typical maximum daily temperatures of 14-15 degrees Celsius, and minimum just above freezing.

History and current status

Linares was founded on May 23, 1794, as the "Villa de San Ambrosio de Linares" by

Ambrosio O'Higgins Ambrosio Bernardo O'Higgins y O'Higgins, 1st Marquess of Osorno (c. 1720 – 19 March 1801) born Ambrose Bernard O'Higgins (''Ambrós Bearnárd Ó hUiginn'', in Irish), was an Irish-Spanish colonial administrator and a member of the O'Higgins fa ...

, the then Viceroy of Peru and

Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque-Spanish and Irish ancestry. Althou ...

's father. The city counts among its natives important statesmen, politicians, poets, writers, and musicians and is an active commercial, agricultural, industrial, and

service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...

center. The city of Linares houses the artillery school of the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and a ...

. From 1913 to 1954 Linares had a station on the narrow gauge

Putagán—Colbún railway The Putagán—Colbún railway, locally known as the Tren Chico (Small Train), was a long narrow gauge railway that operated between the communities of Yerba Buenas and Colbún in the province of Linares in Chile. It was in existence between 1 ...

line between Linares and Colbún.

Religion

According to the 2002 census of the municipality of Linares, 75.41% (or 45,987 persons) of the total population aged 15 and older identified themselves as

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

; 15.74% described themselves as

evangelical Protestant Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...

s; and 0.61% as

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

. Additionally, 2.00% of the total population aged 15 and older identified themselves as

Mormons Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

, approximately 2.59% declared themselves followers of other religions, and 4.95% of the population declared themselves

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient ...

. Linares is a

see See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

of a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the Roman Catholic Church, with nine active parishes and many chapels in the ''comuna''. There are also many churches that serve the various

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

denominations and places of worship for Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons.

Main sights

The city and its surroundings have many attractions, for example: * The Cathedral Church of

San Ambrosio The Desventuradas Islands ( es, Islas Desventuradas, , "Unfortunate Islands" or ''Islas de los Desventurados'', "Islands of the Unfortunate Ones") is a group of four small Island#Oceanic islands, oceanic islands located off the coast of Chile, no ...

de Linares. This is one of the finest religious buildings built in

in the 20th Century. It was conceived after the

Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

Saint Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...

, in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, a noble building in the

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

. The Cathedral of Linares was built after the old cathedral had been destroyed by an earthquake. Mgr.

Juan Subercaseaux Errázuriz Monsignor Juan Subercaseaux Errázuriz (26 August 1896 – 9 August 1942) was a Chilean Roman Catholic archbishop. Juan Subercaseaux was of French and Basque descent. Biography Juan Subercaseaux was born in Santiago, the son of Ramón Suberca ...

, a visionary churchman and second bishop of the Diocese of Linares, was the bright mind that conceived the new Cathedral and gave beginning to its works. * The parish church,

Corazón de María Corazón (Spanish "heart") may refer to: Film and TV * ''Corazón'' (film), a 1947 Argentine film * Corazon, an episode from season 6, of ''Criminal Minds'' Music Albums * ''Corazón'' (Ednita Nazario album), 1999 * ''Corazón'' (Fonseca alb ...

— a church declared a National Monument for its

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and beauty * The "Museo de Arte y Artesanía" (Museum of Arts and Crafts) * Some old houses of colonial style * A main library Some natural attractions in the surrounding area include the

piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

of the Andes mountains, with forests of pines and other trees; lakes (the artificial Colbún lake); rivers, and good camping and hiking areas. Other cities and towns in the province include:

Panimávida Panimávida (in Mapudungun: "hill of pumas") is a town in the Chilean commune of Colbún, Linares Province, Maule Region. Panimávida is well known in Chile for being one of the oldest hot springs and resort spa A destination spa or heal ...

, Parral, Retiro, San Javier, Villa Alegre and

Administration

As a commune, Linares 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, rural counci ...

, 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. The 2021-2025 alcalde is Mario Meza. 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 ...

, Linares 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 Jorge Tarud ( PPD) and Romilio Gutiérrez (

UDI Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People * Udi Gal (born 1979), Israeli Olympic sailor * Udi Vaks (born 1979), Israeli Olympic judoka ...

) as part of the 39th electoral district, together with

, San Javier, Villa Alegre and

. 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 ...

Hernán Larraín Hernán Larraín Fernández (born September 21, 1947) is a conservative Chilean lawyer, university lecturer, and politician; he served as the Chilean Minister of Justice and Human rights, appointed by president Sebastián Piñera, between 2018 ...

(UDI) and Ximena Rincón González ( PDC) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).

Corruption under investigation

In August 2021 the Brigade against Economic Crime PDI in investigating embezzlement and fraud. In August 2021 the Comptroller General of the Republic indicated disproportional costs for over CLP$73million, currently under investigation for chlorine and rapid antigen test during the Covid pandemic.

Economy

Linares is an important agricultural, industrial and financial center of the region.

Notable natives and residents of Linares (city and province)

Juan Ignacio Molina Fr. Juan Ignacio Molina (; (June 24, 1740 – September 12, 1829) was a Chilean Jesuit priest, naturalist, historian, translator, geographer, botanist, ornithologist, and linguist. He is usually referred to as Abate Molina (a form of Abbot Moli ...

(Abate Molina), a Chilean priest and naturalist, born in Guaraculén, a farm located in Villa Alegre ''comuna''. *

Carlos Ibáñez del Campo General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo (; 3 November 1877 – 28 April 1960) was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as President twice, first between 1927 and 1931, and then from 1952 to 1958, serving for 10 years in office. T ...

, Army General and twice the President of Chile; *

Arturo Alessandri Palma Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma (; December 20, 1868 – August 24, 1950) was a Chilean political figure and reformer who served thrice as president of Chile, first from 1920 to 1924, then from March to October 1925, and finally from 1932 to 1 ...

, politician, statesman and twice the President of Chile * Valentin Letelier, educator, writer and politician *

Pedro Dartnell Division General Pedro Pablo Dartnell Encina (December 24, 1873 – September 26, 1944) was a Chilean military officer and member of the Government Junta of Chile in 1925. Early life Dartnell was born in the city of Linares in 1873, the s ...

, General, Army commander-in-chief and politician *

Ismael Fuentes Ismael Ignacio Fuentes Castro (born 4 August 1981) is a Chilean former footballer who played as centre back. Club career Fuentes made his debut with Deportes Linares in the Primera B de Chile and then he moved to Rangers in 2001. Internationa ...

, footballer * Manuel Miquel Rodríguez, politician * José Manuel Sánchez, cofounder of Poliglota *

Sebastián Silva (basketball) Sebastián "Titan" Silva Cerda (born 12 March 1996) is a Chilean professional basketball player for Club Deportivo Universidad Católica of the Liga Nacional de Básquetbol de Chile. Sebastián Silva is originally from Linares, Chile.Pablo Neruda Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973), better known by his pen name and, later, legal name Pablo Neruda (; ), was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Nerud ...

, poet and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner, born in Parral,

Linares Province Linares ( es, Provincia de Linares) is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). The provincial capital and most populous center is the city of Linares. Administration As a province, Cachapoal is a second-level adminis ...

* Margot Loyola Palacios,

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

ian and researcher * Edilberto Domarchi Villagra, poet * Samuel Maldonado Silva, poet, novelist and Journalist * Pedro Olmos, painter * Manuel Francisco Mesa Seco, poet and writer *

Eduardo Anguita Eduardo Anguita Cuéllar (Yerbas Buenas, Linares Province, Linares November 1914 - Santiago de Chile August 12, 1992) was a Chilean poet, who was awarded the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 1988. Life Eduardo Anguita was raised in Sa ...

, writer * Rubén Campos Aragón, poet *

Max Jara Maximiliano Jara Troncoso (August 21, 1886 in Yerbas Buenas – July 6, 1965 in Santiago), better known as Max Jara, was a Chilean poet. He won the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 1956. He studied medicine at the University of Chile. ...

, poet * Jerónimo Lagos Lisboa, poet * Gustavo González Rodríguez, journalist and university professor * Juan Enrique Coeymans Avaria, civil engineer, PhD and university professor. * Manuel Astica Fuentes, writer * Faruk Jose Nome Aguilera - professor of

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J.; ...

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina The Federal University of Santa Catarina ( pt, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, UFSC) is a public university in Florianópolis, the capital city of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. Considered one of the leading universities in Brazil, ...

, Brasil. * Humberto Pinochet, painter now living in Canada * Juan Cristobal Pinochet, painter now living in Canada

References

External links

*
Samuel Maldonado Silva Biography
*
Municipality of Linares
*
Museum of Arts and Crafts/Museo de Arte y Artesanía
*
Diocese of Linares Aerial photo # 1 from Google Maps Aerial photo # 2 from Google MapsAerial photo # 3 from Google Maps. The westernmost portion of Linares comuna, lying between the rives Putagán (north), Loncomilla, (west) and Achibueno (south).Linares in Multimap
{{Authority control Populated places in Linares Province Communes of Chile Capitals of Chilean provinces Populated places established in 1794 1794 establishments in the Spanish Empire