Curepto is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

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 ...

in the

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 ...

Province of Talca Talca Province ( es, Provincia de Talca) is one of four provinces of the central Chilean region of Maule (VII). Its capital is the city of Talca. Administration As a province, Talca is a second-level administrative division of Chile, governed b ...

, located in the VII Maule Region. The commune spans an area of .

Culture

The town has many examples of Chilean

rural 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 ...

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

architecture. Its

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

is a quintessential example of a traditional religious building in 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 ...

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

style. The town itself exemplifies the works of the Chilean government in remote rural regions and the diversity of cultures that resulted from Spanish colonialism in the region. Known locally as ''El Festival de la Camelia'' and named for a flower common to areas south of Santiago, this annual festival has been an example of Curepto's outgoing influence in the country. It consists of a collective concert that usually includes many Chilean musicians, and receives national radio and television coverage. The Maule Activa initiative brought Curepto and the entire Maule Region improved internet connectivity. Rodeo is a popular sport the country, and during the summer months Curepto's rodeo arena is often open.

Demographics

According to data from 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 ...

by 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 ...

, Curepto had 10,812 inhabitants; of these, 3,157 (29.2%) 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 7,655 (70.8%) 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. At that time, there were 5,784 men and 5,028 women. The population fell by 12.0% (1,473 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a

, Curepto is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a communal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Luis Armando González Aguilar ( RN), and the

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 ...

has the following

councilor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s: * Juan Eduardo Valdés (

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 ...

) * Mario Gómez ( PDC) * Francisco Núñez Ramírez ( PRSD) * Dorys Sepúlveda Contreras ( PS) * Guillermo Reyes * Aníbal Muñoz Díaz Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Curepto (along with Constitución, Empedrado, Pencahue, Maule,

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway between ...

, Pelarco, Río Claro and San Rafael) is represented in the Chamber of Deputies as part of the 38th electoral district. The commune is represented in the Senate as part of the 10th senatorial constituency (Maule-North).

''El Oriflama''

On approximately July 27, 1770 off the coast of the commune, the

brig "Nuestra Señora del Buen Consejo y San Leopoldo" (Spanish for "Our Lady of the Good Council and San Leopoldo"), better known as " El Oriflama", sank off the cost of the commune near the beach named "La Trinchera" ("The Trench"). The ship was built by the French, captured by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and eventually sold to Charles III of Spain. It sailed from the port of Cadiz, bound the port of Callao in the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed fro ...

, loaded with huge fortunes of silver and gold pieces, stamps, fine cutlery, glassware manufactured by the "Granja de San Ildefonso", and luxurious furniture decorated with gold, costume seeds and precious fabrics. The company
Oriflama S.A.
' cordoned off the area where the ill-fated ship remains and made a search, but the ship has not been rescued and the company is in legal disputes with th
National Monuments Council

References

External links

*
Municipality of Curepto
*
Curepto On Line
*
Radio Poesía FM de Curepto
{{Communes in Maule Region Communes of Chile Populated places in Talca Province Populated places established in 1790 1790 establishments in the Spanish Empire