Combarbalá
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Combarbalá is the capital city of the
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 ...
of Combarbala. It is located in the
Limarí Province Limarí Province ( es, Provincia de Limarí) is one of three provinces of the Chilean region of Coquimbo Region (IV). Its capital is the city of Ovalle Geography and demography According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute ('' ...
, Region of Coquimbo, at an elevation of 900 m (2,952 ft). It is known for the tourist astronomic observatory Cruz del Sur; the petroglyphs of Rincon las Chilcas; its typical handcraft made of the unique combarbalita stone; the classical basketball match at the end February; the Virgen de la Piedra catholic-pagan festivity, among other tourist attractions.


Origin of the name

There are two hypotheses that might to explain the origin of the name "Combarbalá". Both hypothesis are rooted in the Spanish transliteration of the aborigine name of the area. The first hypothesis holds that the word Combarbalá is derived from the
Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...
word "Cumparpayay", which means "to break with a hammer", and designates the usual labor for obtaining minerals and stones from mines. The second hypothesis holds that the origin of the word Combarbalá comes from the Mapudungun word "Co Cam Bala", where "Co" means Water, "Cam" means Far, and "Bala" means Duck. Thus, Cocambala literally means "far away water with ducks", or Duck's pond. In fact, there is a place known as Duck's pond very near to the city. This pond was used as a resting place by the
Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts",  "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
army in their advance to the south, and then by the
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
conquistadores
Diego de Almagro Diego de Almagro (; – July 8, 1538), also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo, was a Spanish conquistador known for his exploits in western South America. He participated with Francisco Pizarro in the Spanish conquest of Peru. While subd ...
first, and later by
Pedro de Valdivia Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva (; April 17, 1497 – December 25, 1553) was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, wh ...
. People of Combarbalá likes to make jokes about the name of the city: they hold that an aborigine of the area, who was named "La", left to travel with the Spaniards. "La" got used to shaving his face and returned with a dense beard, something unusual because South American aborigines don't grow beards. Because of this, people named the area as the place where ''"Con-Barba-La"'' —literally with-beard-La or bearded La—lived. This history is told for the amusement of children's during the celebration of the city foundation anniversary.


History


Prehispanic

The geographical area where Combarbalá is located was originally populated by
Molle MOLLE (pronounced ,, homophonic with the name Molly) is an acronym for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. It is used to define the current generation of load-bearing equipment and backpacks used by a number of NATO armed forces, esp ...
,
Diaguita The Diaguita people are a group of South American indigenous people native to the Chilean Norte Chico and the Argentine Northwest. Western or Chilean Diaguitas lived mainly in the Transverse Valleys which incised in a semi-arid environment. Ea ...
and
Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts",  "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...
people. Molle people were the first to inhabit the area. The Molle people were hunter-gatherers, although they also practiced some primal forms of agriculture. They inhabited the area from c. 400 BCE to c. 900 CE Their origins are still unknown, although some hypothesis trace them back to the Amazon Rainforest, coming through what is now Bolivia to the
Atacama The Atacama Desert ( es, Desierto de Atacama) is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 km (990 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains. The Atacama Desert is the driest nonpolar desert in the w ...
and
Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port city, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, with which it forms Greater La Serena with more than ...
regions of Chile. The Diaguita people arrived to the area c. 700 CE, about three hundred years after the Molle people. They crossed from
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
through one of the several summer passages in 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 ...
mountain range. They practiced advanced forms of agriculture,
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...
, stone work,
weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...
and metallurgy, mainly based on
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
and bronze). They also carved figures in stone known as
petroglyphs A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
. These petroglyphs are believed to represent the
cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...
of the Diaguita people.Alvarez J. Combarbalá. Astronomía y Arqueología. 2008 Nowadays, a number of these archeological treasures can be found in the area of ''Rincón las Chilcas''. The Inca conquerors arrived c. 1450 CE. It is believed that the conquest was peaceful, and mainly affected cultural aspects. They extended the
Inca roads The Inca road system (also spelled Inka road system and known as ''Qhapaq Ñan''Qhapaq=rich, powerful, opulent, wealthy, privileged; ñan=road, way, path, route. Source "Diccionario quechua - español - quechua" Gobierno Regional Cusco - Cusco ...
in the area, and practiced advanced forms of
mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...
and
agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
.


Spanish Conquest and Colony

The failed expedition of Diego de Almagro arrived in the area in c. 1536. As it is known, they returned shortly after to
Peru , 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 f ...
, empty handed. After that, the expedition of Pedro de Valdivia arrived to the area c. 1541. They found the valley mostly uninhabited, because most of the indigenous people were hiding in the hills. The indigenous were already afraid of Spaniards, because of the deeds of Almagro and his people. The first Spanish chronologist recording the name of "Cocambala" valley was Jeronimo de Vivar. He wrote: "It rains more heavier and more in summer (than
Copiapó Copiapó () is a city and commune in northern Chile, located about 65 kilometers east of the coastal town of Caldera. Founded on December 8, 1744, it is the capital of Copiapó Province and Atacama Region. Copiapó lies about 800 km nort ...
)... there are good rivers in this area". He described the number of inhabitants as "Not too many people". Before the official foundation of the town, the life there was characterized for being extremely hard. The first census showed that the overall population of the area (Combarbalá, Cogotí and Pama) was 240 people, distributed across 60 families. Most of the activities were related to farming and shepherding. In 1757, the overall population was around 1,140 people. That same year, Bishop Manuel de Alday established the vice-Parish in the area. In 1774, this was advanced to parish status. Later, on March 3, 1789, neighbors of the area ask the Spanish governor,
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 ...
, to establish a church in the area. This finally happened on November 30, 1789. The original name of the city was "Villa de San Francisco de Borja de Combarbalá". The foundation was done by Captain Juan Ignacio Flores, under the authority of governor and later viceroy,
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 ...
. At the beginning of the 18th century, mines of copper,
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
and
silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...
were discovered in the area. Thus, Combarbalá became an important mining center. However, during the mid 80's, the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet dismantled the mineral processing plant that operated in the city, thus ending the era of mining wealth, and putting the city into an era of economic uncertainty. Lately on the 90's, and thanks to techniques of dry areas irrigation, growing of export-grade grapes have become the main economical activity, but only generating seasonal employment.


Geography

Combarbalá commune is located in the geographical area known as transversal valleys of central Chile. These are valleys that run perpendicularly from the Andes mountain range to the Coastal mountain range. The city is located right next to Combarbalá River, and the valley lies in between the Cogotí River valley to the north and the Valle Hermoso (Beautiful Valley) to the south. Those three are the main transversal valleys found in the commune. Some important heights located in the commune of Combarbalá are: * Pabellón Hill: AMSL. * Chaguareche Hill: AMSL. * Ramadilla Hill: AMSL. * Movilo Hill: AMSL.


Demographics

According to the 2002
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
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 ...
, Combarbalá spans an area of and has 13,483 inhabitants (6,695 men and 6,788 women). Of these, 5,494 (40.7%) lived in
urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...
s and 7,989 (59.3%) 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 descr ...
s. The population fell by 6.3% (899 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.


Administration

As a commune, Combarbalá is a third-level administrative division of Chile 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 counc ...
, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Solercio Rojas Aguirre ( PRI). The council has the following members: * Miguel Oñate Collado ( RN) * Gustavo Hernández V. ( PPD) * Claudio Bravo Gallardo ( PS) * Bernardita Cortés Gómez ( PDC) * Miguel Viera Flores (PRI) * Hugo Galleguillos Cortés ( Ind.) Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Combarbalá is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Mrs. Adriana Muñoz (PDC) and Mr. Luis Lemus (Ind.) as part of the 9th electoral district, (together with
Punitaqui Punitaqui is a town and commune of Chile in the Limarí Province. History Punitaqui was once part of the Ovalle Department before the administrative restructuring of 1976. 1997 earthquake On October 15, 1997 the town was nearly demolished by ...
,
Monte Patria Monte Patria is a city and one of four communes in the Limarí Province of Chile's north-central IV Coquimbo Region. Administration As a commune, Monte Patria is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a Communal Council ...
,
Illapel Illapel () is a Chilean city, which is the capital of the Choapa Province, Coquimbo Region. It lies along the Illapel River and marks the country's narrowest point along a parallel (94 km). It is located to the east of Los Vilos. Administr ...
,
Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...
,
Los Vilos Los Vilos (From mapuche: ''Filu'', ‘snake’) ? is both a Chilean coastal commune and a coastal city with over 9,000 inhabitants (18,275 in comuna), located in the Province of Choapa, part of the IV Region of Coquimbo. The city has a harbour c ...
,
Canela Canela may refer to: Places * Canela, Rio Grande do Sul, a town in Brazil * Canela, Chile, a commune in Chile * La Canela, a legendary location in South America * Isla Canela, an island in Andalusia, Spain Other uses * Canela (surname), in ...
). The commune is represented in the Senate by Evelyn Matthei Fornet (
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 ...
) and Jorge Pizarro Soto (PDC) as part of the 4th senatorial constituency (Coquimbo Region). In January 2011, Evelyn Matthei abandoned its elected senatorial position and it was replaced by Gonzalo Uriarte.


Climate

Combarbalá's climate is semi-arid, with a relative humidity around 50%. Summer temperatures range from with the much cooler nights typical of desert climates. Winter temperatures are generally above freezing, the minimum being ~. Most of the year it is clear and sunny. Annual rainfall is about 200 mm, but long droughts and heavy rains are not rare in the region. The vegetation found in the commune is typical of the area climate, adapted to the dryness and low relative humidity of the climate. Predominating species are in most of the area are different types of cacti,
hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
s and
carob The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and lands ...
trees. However, in the valleys, near the rivers, is possible to find more water-demanding species, like
Eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...
and Weeping Willows. Rivers in the area are fed by two main sources: rain and melting snow. Because of this, their levels rise at least twice a year: in winter due to rains, and in summer due to snow melting. In a normal year, rains can be up to 200 mm. But periods of drought or heavy raining are not uncommon. There are a number of small rivers that come down from the Andes mountain chain, which tribute their water to the three main rivers in the commune: Combarbalá, Cogotí and Pama. All of them end at the Cogotí dam, which has a capacity of 150 million cubic meters (~39 billion gallons). From there, it flows into the Guatulame River and then to La Paloma dam in the commune of
Monte Patria Monte Patria is a city and one of four communes in the Limarí Province of Chile's north-central IV Coquimbo Region. Administration As a commune, Monte Patria is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a Communal Council ...
.


Economic activities

For almost two centuries, Combarbalá's main economic activity has been mining of copper, gold and silver. However, due to the declinne of smaller mining operations, these activities have been greatly diminished. Besides mining, other activities such as agriculture,
goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
shepherding, and craft work of Combarbalita stone have become important productive activities. There are a number of artisans in the area that work with the stone and produce a variety of decorative and utilitarian objects.
Goat cheese Goat cheese, or chèvre ( or ; from French ''fromage de chèvre'' 'goat cheese'), is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world with a variety ...
is also a famous product of the zone, and export-grade
grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...
production has become the main agricultural activity, with the only caveat that it produces seasonal work. Combarbalá is served by La Pelicana Airport, an
airstrip An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for pub ...
to the north.


Tourism

There are a variety of tourist attractions in the area. The main ones are: Southern Cross Astronomical Oservatory The tourist astronomical observatory is open to the general public. It has four main domes, each equipped with a potent telescope. Tours are held that gudie the tourist through the astronomy in Chile, ancient astronomical beliefs of other cultures, and an observation of planets and stars through any of the four main telescopes. La Isla religious festivals On the first Sunday in May, Catholics participate in the traditional religious celebration of the Virgin of the Stone, in the town of La Isla, located 22 kilometers from the city of Combarbalá. Thousands of pilgrims demonstrate their devotion by climbing the hill were the stone virgin is located. various interesting aspects of the Inca-Catholic mixture are present in this festivity, as in others through the north of Chile. Among these, are: payment of ''"mandas"''. which are commitments between the virgin and the pilgrim, were the virgin grants some wish, and the pilgrim pays with physical, usually painful, acts (e.g. climbing the hill on the knees). Another interesting aspect of the festivity are the "religious dances", which are Inca in origin, but nowadays represent the mixture between indigenous and Catholic beliefs. In these dances, groups of men, women and children dance in columns, dressed in non-traditional outfits (e.g. gypsies. red skins), while are followed by a band composed of different types of drums, and sometimes different kinds of flutes. Petroglyphs Petroglyphs were ubiquitous in the area and remain as part of the Diaguita heritage. Unfortunately, most of them were stolen by unscrupulous "private collectionists". Nowadays, despite the lack of a defined protection policy, they can be found mainly in the areas of Rincón Las Chilcas, Ramadilla and Pama. The main motivations in these carved stones are cosmology of Diaguita people and their religious ceremonies. El Clasico In February, Combarbala lives a unique event: ''El Clásico''. Two of the city's sports, culture and social Clubs, "Los Loros" and "Union Juvenil", dispute the title of the city championship. Even there is no trophy or cash reward, during the whole summer, the people of Combarbalá and the visitors are divided, belonging to one of the two clubs. Although club membership is determined by family and heritage, often young people challenge their parents' affiliation, and switch clubs. At the end of February, both clubs confront each other in sport and cultural activities that decide the triumph of one of the clubs. This is decided after an exciting basketball game which usually starts after a theatrical play and a cheerleaders presentation by each club. It is not unusual that the game can start at 1 am and ends around 4 am. After the match, both winners and losers celebrate until the dawn in their respective club houses. Because of this, it is also known as "The Night Combarbalá doesn't sleep". Usually the score is only a few points difference. Other tourist attractions * Petrified forest, in ''El Algarrobal'', 03 km. from the city. * Mountain bike in Barrancas, Chineo and Fragüita, to 11 km. to the interior of the city. * San Francisco de Borja de Combarbala Church, built on 1754. Historical monument and tourist attraction in the town center.


Notable people

* Ignacio Silva Ureta (1837–1924), politician


References


External links

*
Combarbala.tk - Our City in Internet
*
Combarbalá´s Online Community

City Government of Combarbalá
{{DEFAULTSORT:Combarbala Populated places established in 1789 Populated places in Limarí Province 1789 establishments in the Spanish Empire