El Quisco 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 in

San Antonio Province San Antonio Province ( es, Provincia de San Antonio) is one of eight provinces of the central Chilean region of Valparaíso (V). Its capital is the port city of San Antonio (pop. 87,205). Administration As a province, San Antonio is a second-lev ...

Valparaíso Region The Valparaíso Region ( es, Región de Valparaíso, links=no, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's second-highest population of 1,790,219 , and fourth-smallest area of , ...

. Located in the country's central coast, it serves as a popular summer resort for the population 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, whos ...

and forms part of the Coast of Poets, a cultural space named after four world-renowned Chilean poets: Pablo Neruda,

Vicente Huidobro Vicente García-Huidobro Fernández (; January 10, 1893 – January 2, 1948) was a Chilean poet born to an aristocratic family. He promoted the avant-garde literary movement in Chile and was the creator and greatest exponent of the literary m ...

Violeta Parra Violeta del Carmen Parra Sandoval (; 4 October 1917 – 5 February 1967) was a Chilean composer, singer-songwriter, folklorist, ethnomusicologist and visual artist. She pioneered the Nueva Canción Chilena (The Chilean New Song), a renewal an ...

and

Nicanor Parra Nicanor Segundo Parra Sandoval (5 September 1914 – 23 January 2018) was a Chilean poet and physicist. He was considered one of the most influential Chilean poets of the Spanish language in the 20th century, often compared with Pablo Neruda. P ...

. El Quisco is home to La Casa de Isla Negra, the former house of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, which is now a museum and Neruda's burial site.

Etymology

The word "quisco" refers to the

Echinopsis chiloensis ''Echinopsis chiloensis'' is a species of cactus native to South America; genus members are known as ''hedgehog cacti'', ''sea-urchin cactus'' or ''Easter lily cactus''. Description This species, ''E chiloensis'', is tree-like with branching str ...

, a species of cactus native to the central coast of Chile. It 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 ''khishka'', meaning " spine."

History

Tralca Point Beach from Peninsula El Quisco

Early history

There have been important archaeological findings from the pre-ceramic period and the late ceramic period along the coast of El Quisco. El Quisco was a centre of the and , among others, and their presence coincided with the dates of the

El Molle culture El Molle culture was a South American archaeological culture from in the Transverse Valleys of Norte Chico known chiefly for its ceramics. The culture existed from 300 to 700 CE and was later replaced in Chile by Las Ánimas culture that develop ...

further north. The Bato culture was established between 400 and 300 BC, and shared cultural traits with the Molle culture. Typical of this culture was the use of a

tembetá A tembetá ( Guaraní language: ''tembé'': lip, ''Ita'': stone.) or barbote (Argentina) is a metal or stone rod placed in lower lip piercings by members of some indigenous peoples in South America. It has been used since the Neolithic period b ...

(a metal or stone rod used in lower-lip piercings). In addition,

mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...

, stones used to grind vegetables and minerals, have been found. Evidence of this group has been found in Trebulco and in La Manresa, located near Lonquén. Its peak development came in 400 to 500 AD, both on the coast and in the interior, and the culture persisted in the Preandean zone until around 900 AD. The El Molle culture was established in Chile around 300 AD among the

Transverse Valleys The Transverse Valleys (Spanish: ''Valles transversales'') are a group of transverse valleys in the semi-arid northern Chile. They run from east to west (traversing Chile), being among the most prominent geographical features in the regions they cr ...

of the rivers

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 ...

and Choapa, with large migrations to the country from

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, from the tropical

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

s of the Chaco, Argentine pampas, and from

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 ...

. The first settlements were in the interior of the country, in El Molle (in the Valle de Elqui), where the first evidence was found. They mixed with existing populations and adopted some cultural elements and physical features from them. They were the predecessors of the

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 ...

culture, and by the time the Spanish arrived (1492) they had already disappeared. This culture was located in what would become regions III (

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 IV (

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 ...

) of modern Chile. The Aconcagua culture spread along the coast, near the present-day resorts of Algarrobo, El Quisco, Llolleo,

El Tabo El Tabo is a Chilean commune located in the San Antonio Province, Valparaíso Region. The commune spans an area of . This town is a traditional beach for middle class families. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Sta ...

, Las Cruces, Rocas de Santo Domingo, and Cartagena. The ceramics of these cultures are commonly called the ''Aconcagua Salmon Type'', for their orange colour with decorative designs in black paint, found in the Late ''Agroalfarero'' ("agro-potter") period of the region, between 800 and 1470, principally in pieces known as ''pucos,'' or bowls. The outer face is often a decoration representing the figure of a ''"Trinaurio",'' or whirlpool with three arms.

Mapuche period

More recently

Picunche The Picunche (a Mapudungun word meaning "North People"), also referred to as ''picones'' by the Spanish, were a Mapudungun-speaking people living to the north of the Mapuches or Araucanians (a name given to those Mapuche living between the Itata an ...

people lived between two important rivers: the Choapa and the

Itata ''Itata'' is a genus of spiders in the jumping spider family, Salticidae. Name The genus name is derived from the Itata River in southern Chile. Species * '' Itata completa'' (Banks, 1929) – Panama * '' Itata isabellina'' ( Taczanowski, 1878) ...

. They were

farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer m ...

s and thus sedentary, growing

gourd Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly ''Cucurbita'' and '' Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. One of the ear ...

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...

, beans and

chili pepper Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...

. Water was abundant where they lived, and the climate was hot. They raised animals, especially

llama The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is soft ...

s and

guanaco The guanaco (; ''Lama guanicoe'') is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids, the other being the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations. Etymology The guanaco ...

s, which provided meat for food and wool for clothes. They lived in small villages, in groups of approximately 300 people. Their houses were made of mud, with roofs of totora. About 30 people lived in each house: a father, wives, children, and other close relatives. Men gave the orders and directed the work: the highest authority was the father and after him the oldest son. Only in emergencies, especially in wars, was there a chief as a leader. Nevertheless, the villages were peaceful.

Inca period

The area was part of the

Inca Empire 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 adm ...

, specifically of

Qullasuyu Qullasuyu (Quechua and Aymara spelling, ; Hispanicized spellings: ''Collasuyu, Kholla Suyu'') was the southeastern provincial region of the Inca Empire. Qullasuyu is the region of the Qulla and related specifically to the native Qulla Quechuas w ...

. To assure their domination and introduce Inca customs, Inca sovereigns established numerous colonies of mitimaes, farmers and peaceful craftsmen brought from diverse parts of the empire:

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

and

Atacameño The Atacama people, also called Atacameño, are indigenous people from the Atacama Desert and altiplano region in the north of Chile and Argentina and southern Bolivia, mainly Antofagasta Region. According to the Argentinean Census in 2010, 13,9 ...

. These foreign settlers founded numerous villages with names that recall their places of origin:

Limache Limache is a Chilean town and township in the Marga Marga Province, Valparaíso Region. Limache is the only township of Chile that has two urban areas: San Francisco de Limache on the north side of the Pelumpén stream, and Limache Viejo on the s ...

(people of Rímac or

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

), Collahue (place of the

Qulla The Qulla (Quechuan for ''south'', Hispanicized and mixed spellings: ''Colla, Kolla'') are an indigenous people of western Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina living in west of Jujuy and west of Salta Province. The 2004 Complementary Indigenous Survey r ...

people or

people), Pomaire and different people of Atacameño origin. The clothes of Inca soldiers were made from ''Pulla Pulla'' (

Zephyranthes ''Zephyranthes'' is a genus of temperate and tropical plants in the Amaryllis family, subfamily Amaryllidoideae, native to the Western Hemisphere and widely cultivated as ornamentals. Following the expansion of the genus in 2019, which n ...

párvula Killip), an annual plant of the family Amaryllidaceae, native to the highland Andean provinces, with beautiful flowers that bloom in spring. This bloom is considered an omen of whether the agricultural year would be good or bad. The route from

to Las Dichas passed through Lo Orozco, continuing to Portezuelo de Ibacache and finishing at

Talagante Talagante () is a commune and the capital city of the province of the same name in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. The word ''Talagante'' in Quechua comes from ''talacanta'', meaning "Lazo de Hechicero", which was the proper n ...

, where other Mitimae existed. In 1430,

Túpac Inca Yupanqui Topa Inca Yupanqui or Túpac Inca Yupanqui ( qu, 'Tupaq Inka Yupanki'), translated as "noble Inca accountant," (c. 1441–c. 1493) was the tenth Sapa Inca (1471–93) of the Inca Empire, fifth of the Hanan dynasty. His father was Pachacuti, and ...

initiated a great military campaign that culminated in the establishment of a border at the Maule river. Ilabe, an Inca

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

who commanded the invading forces, established himself in the

Llollehue valley, between the Maipo river and the

Mapocho river The River Mapocho ( es, Río Mapocho) ( Mapudungun: ''Mapu chuco'', "water that penetrates the land") is a river in Chile. It flows from its source in the Andes mountains onto the west and divides Chile's capital Santiago in two. Course The Mapo ...

. He decided to found a colony and a pucará, a task he entrusted to his son, Tala Canta Ilabe. He had the authority to name ''

kuraka A ''kuraka'' ( Quechua for the principal governor of a province or a communal authority in the Tawantinsuyu), or curaca (hispanicized spelling), was an official of the Inca Empire who held the role of magistrate, about four levels down from the S ...

s'' or governors, derived from that of the Inca in Cusco. His mandate allowed him to establish the social, political and economic system characteristic of the

, to distribute land and community property, and initiate public works for the common good, like roads, granaries and housing. Agricultural and cattle production was sufficiently developed to allow food exports to the ''

pukara Pukara (Aymara and Quechuan "fortress", Hispanicized spellings ''pucara, pucará'') is a defensive hilltop site or fortification built by the prehispanic and historic inhabitants of the central Andean area (from Ecuador to central Chile and no ...

s'' of the north.

Spanish settlement

The first indications of Spanish colonization in the El Quisco area date to 1570, when the Spanish family of Alonso de Córdoba took control. Previously it was named ''Huallilemu'' ''( Mapudungun: forest of oakwood)'', and then ''El Totoral'' after the many totoras there.

Pirates

After 1578, El Quisco and nearby places became bolt holes for pirates such as the Englishmen Francis Drake,

Thomas Cavendish Sir Thomas Cavendish (1560 – May 1592) was an English explorer and a privateer known as "The Navigator" because he was the first who deliberately tried to emulate Sir Francis Drake and raid the Spanish towns and ships in the Pacific and retu ...

, and

Richard Hawkins Admiral Sir Richard Hawkins (or Hawkyns) (c. 1562 – 17 April 1622) was a 17th-century English seaman, explorer and privateer. He was the son of Admiral Sir John Hawkins. Biography He was from his earlier days familiar with ships and the s ...

and Dutchmen like Oliver Van Noort and

Joris van Spilbergen Joris van Spilbergen (1568 in Antwerp – January 31, 1620 in Bergen op Zoom) was a Dutch naval officer. Joris van Spilbergen was born in Antwerp in 1568. His first major expedition was in 1596, when he sailed to Africa. He then left for As ...

. Francis Drake probably moored his

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch W ...

the ''

Golden Hind ''Golden Hind'' was a galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580. She was originally known as ''Pelican,'' but Drake renamed her mid-voyage in 1578, in honour of his patron, Sir Christopher Hat ...

'' in the bay in December 1578. He travelled with two people known only by their Christian names, Christopher and Cosmas, the first Japanese explorers to circumnavigate the globe. At the end of the colonial era, many foreign ships already engaged in illegal trade on the Chilean coast, including English, Dutch, French and American pirates. The foreign pirates generally operated with the support of Chilean Creoles, born in Chile but of European descent, saw the attempts of the Spanish authorities to interfere as one more proof of the arrogance of the colonial Spanish system.

Today

Tralca Point Beach in Peninsula El Quisco

The commune of El Quisco was incorporated on August 30, 1956 under the presidency of

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. ...

under Statutory order Nº 12110.

Demographics

Patrullera Clase Defender atracando en El Quisco

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 ...

, El Quisco spans an area of and has 9,467 inhabitants (4,815 men and 4,652 women). Of these, 8,931 (94.3%) 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 536 (5.7%) 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 grew by 55.3% (3,370 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, El Quisco 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 Natalia Carrasco Pizarro. * Cristofer Ceballos Lira ( UDI) * Juan Andrés Berrios Olmedo ( PPD) * José Moraga Lira ( RN) * Maria Magdalena Bianchi Berroeta ( PDC) * Guillermo Romo Díaz ( JPM) * Guillermo Vidal Devia (UDI) Within the electoral divisions of Chile, El Quisco is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by María José Hoffmann (UDI) and Víctor Torres (PDC) as part of the 15th electoral district, together with

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

Santo Domingo , total_type = Total , population_density_km2 = auto , timezone = AST (UTC −4) , area_code_type = Area codes , area_code = 809, 829, 849 , postal_code_type = Postal codes , postal_code = 10100–10699 ( Distrito Nacional) , webs ...

, Cartagena,

, Algarrobo and Casablanca. The commune is represented in the Senate by Francisco Chahuán Chahuán (RN) and Ricardo Lagos Weber (PPD) as part of the 6th senatorial constituency (Valparaíso-Coast).

Description

El Quisco has four sectors that are both geographically and culturally distinct: * El Quisco proper * Punta de Tralca *

Isla Negra Isla Negra is a coastal area in El Quisco commune in central Chile, some 45 km (70 km by road) south of Valparaiso and 96 km (110 km by road) west of Santiago. Pablo Neruda Isla Negra is best known as the residence of Chile ...

* El Totoral

Tourism

The area is a favourite tourist destination in central Chile. One of its advantages is its short distance from Santiago. There are many residences and hotels for lodging, as well as many restaurants and inns for enjoying typical Chilean food. Marine sports are available, including

scuba diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...

and

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

Famous inhabitants

* Pablo Neruda, winner of the

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 ...

of Literature *

, singer and composer. Parra spent long seasons at

, where she created works such as "El Rin de Angelito". * Enrique Silva Cimma, ex- foreign minister of

* Patricio Tombolini, ex-vice minister, ex-president of the

Social Democrat Radical Party The Radical Party of Chile ( es, Partido Radical de Chile), is a social-democratic political party in Chile. The party was founded as the Social Democrat Radical Party (''Partido Radical Socialdemócrata'') on 18 August 1994 out of a union ...

* Clara Solovera (1909–1992), folklorist. Her daughters Cecilia and Marcela spread her ashes in the sea across from her house in El Quisco. * Luis Hernández Parker, winner of the National Prize of Journalism *

René Ríos Boettiger René Ríos Boettiger ( Concepción, 15 December 1911 — 14 July 2000), also known as Pepo, was a Chilean cartoonist, creator of the famous character Condorito. He has been credited as the most prominent Chilean graphic humorist of the 20th centu ...

, Chilean cartoonist, creator of

Condorito ''Condorito'' (''Little Condor'' in Spanish) is a Chilean comic book and comic strip that features an anthropomorphic condor living in a fictitious town named Pelotillehue—a typical small Chilean provincial town. He is meant to be a representat ...

. * Jose Perotti, winner of the National Prize of Art. * Camilo Mori, painter who designed the official seal of the city of El Quisco * Sonia Tschorne, vice-minister of Housing, Urbanism and National Assets * Osvaldo Puccio, politician * Jose Michael Puccio, surgeon of the Presidency of Chile * Mario López Ibáñez, physician * Roberto Marín Vivado, coloproctologist who had a long career as president of the Gastronomic Confraternity Nº 1 of Santiago and honorary member of the Circle of Gastronomic Chroniclers. * Christian von Wernich, priest and collaborator with the Argentinian dictatorship who took refuge in El Quisco's Catholic church until he was identified in 2003.''International Herald Tribune'' 17 September 2007
Argentine priest testifies about church's role in 'dirty war'
/ref>

External links

Municipality of El QuiscoGuía EL Quisco, Complete Turisitic guide about El QuiscoTuristic Web El QuiscoOcupaciones tempranas y la aparición del pescador en la costa pacífica de Sudamérica”Sitio turístico del QuiscoFM Radio online El Quisco Compañía eléctrica de la ComunaEl Quisco y El TaboNuestro RefugioFundación Pablo NerudaSitio del QuiscoCentral Coast of Chile DirectoryColegio del Quisco

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quisco, El Populated places in San Antonio Province Coasts of Valparaíso Region