Pelluhue (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 ...

: ''land of clams'') is a town and Communes of Chile, commune in the Cauquenes Province of central Chile's seventh Regions of Chile, region of Maule Region, Maule.

Geography

The commune of Pelluhue has an area of and is bordered on the north by Chanco (Chile), Chanco, on the south by Cobquecura (Ñuble Region), on the east by Cauquenes and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. Its Capital (political), seat is the town of Curanipe.

Demography

Although Curanipe is the municipal seat, Pelluhue has a greater population, both permanent and seasonal. According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute (Chile), National Statistics Institute, Pelluhue spans an area of and has 6,414 inhabitants (3,408 men and 3,006 women). Of these, 3,877 (60.4%) lived in urban areas and 2,537 (39.6%) in rural areas. Because of its appeal as a tourism and retirement center, Pelluhue has been steadily growing over the last two decades. Its population increase rate has been one of the highest in the Maule Region, growing by 17.2% (943 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

History

Both towns, Pelluhue and Curanipe, are nowadays popular coastal resorts. Pelluhue evolved from a humble fishermen's cove to a crowded seaside resort, summer resort in less than 50 years. The town's population swells to over several thousand in the summer week-ends when tourist, vacationers from the ''hinterland'' (Cauquenes, Linares, Chile, Linares, Talca, Parral, Chile, Parral) visit the coast, seaside. Curanipe has a more "Patrician (post-Roman Europe), patrician" past, having been already a well-known and secluded coastal resort for the Cauquenes elite and a proud "minor port", in the mid- and late 19th century and early 20th century. Both Pelluhue and Curanipe were part of the municipality of Chanco, Chile, Chanco until 1979. The municipality and commune (Spanish language, Spanish:''comuna'') of Pelluhue was officially created on October 26, 1979, when both towns, together with their adjacent territory (country subdivision), territories, formed a new municipality. The Curanipe parish church of Santo Toribio is a preserved religious building overlooking the town. From the ecclesiastical point of view, Pelluhue belongs to the Parish of Curanipe, of the Diocese of Linares, Chile, Diocese of Linares, Chile.

Administration

As a commune, Pelluhue is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Carlos Zúñiga Villaseñor (Independent Democratic Union, UDI). Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Pelluhue is represented in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Chamber of Deputies by Guillermo Ceroni (Party for Democracy (Chile), PPD) and Ignacio Urrutia (UDI) as part of the 40th electoral district, together with Longaví, Retiro, Chile, Retiro, Parral, Chile, Parral, Cauquenes and Chanco, Chile, Chanco. The commune is represented in the Senate of Chile, Senate by Hernán Larraín (UDI) and Ximena Rincón González (Christian Democratic Party, PDC) as part of the 11th senatorial constituency (Maule-South).

Attractions and tourism

In the southernmost corner of the municipality, which borders the Bío-Bío Region, Bío Bío Region, lies the semi-isolated beach of Tregualemu, next to which there are two old, large rural houses of Chilean colonial style. The "Los Ruiles" National Park, Reserve is a park in the easternmost part of the municipality, located in the foothills of the "Chilean Coast Range, Cordillera de la Costa". A small oasis next to the road that connects Chanco (Chile), Chanco and Cauquenes, the park contains many Endemic (ecology), native species of trees and plants. Several of them are unique to the region and some are in danger of extinction. The Nature reserve, reserve has a surface of 29 hectares. There is a reception area, several picnic tables and two footpaths.

Earthquake

On February 27, 2010, Pelluhue and Curanipe were partially destroyed by 2010 Chile earthquake, an earthquake measuring 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, and its associated tsunami that left 60 ft fishing vessels in the streets, the towns "covered in mud" and hundreds of homes "completely gone", as reported by the press. Scores of bodies have been found in the area and an estimated 300 homes were destroyed in Pelluhue alone. The commune of Pelluhue lies close to the town of Cobquecura, the reported epicenter of the earthquake.

References

{{Communes in Maule Region Populated places in Cauquenes Province Communes of Chile Populated places established in 1979 Coasts of Maule Region