Negrete () 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 ...

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 Bío Bío Province, Bío Bío Region. It is bordered by the commune of Los Ángeles to the north,

Renaico Renaico () is a city and commune forming part of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The city is located on the south bank of the Renaico River. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Ins ...

to the south,

Mulchén Mulchén is a city and commune in Bío Bío Province of Bío Bío Region, Chile. It was first settled in 1871 by soldiers during the so-called Pacification of Araucania. In 1875 Mulchén was officially founded. The city is surrounded by a meand ...

to the east and Nacimiento to the west. The town o
Negrete
is located on the south shore of the Bío Bío river, a few kilometers downstream of the confluence of the Bío Bío and Bureo rivers.

History

The town has its origins in the fort ''San Francisco de Borja'' founded near the hill Mesamávida in 1603 by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Alonso de Ribera Alonso de Ribera y Zambrano (; 1560 – March 9, 1617) was a Spanish soldier and twice Spanish royal governor of Chile (1601–1605 and 1612–1617). Early life Born in Úbeda, he was the illegitimate son of Hidalgo and Captain Jorge de Ribera Za ...

. This was 10 km to the northeast of the present location of the town, near the confluence of the Bio Bio River and the

Duqueco River Duqueco River, Río Duqueco, is a river of the Biobío 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 closest to Antarctica, o ...

, on the north shore of this last river. In 1613 Ribera moved to the fort to atop Mesamávida, renamed Cerro Negrete. In 1621, Pedro Osores de Ulloa rebuilt the fort and a small village began at the base of the hill. In 1757, Governor

Manuel de Amat y Juniet Manuel de Amat y Junyent, OSJ, OM ( ca, Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent) (March 1707 – February 14, 1782) was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator. He was the Royal Governor of the Captaincy General of Chile from December 28, 175 ...

, granted the town the title of ''Villa de Negrete''. In 1777, a new fort ''San Agustín de Mesamávida'' was built on the Cerro Negrete by Ambrosio O' Higgins by order of Governor

Agustín de Jáuregui Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa (May 17, 1708/1711 – April 29, 1784) was a Spanish politician and soldier who served as governor of Chile (1772–80) and viceroy of Peru (1780–84). Early life Jáuregui was born in Lecároz, the son of Matías ...

. In March 1793 the plains nearby were the location of the Parliament of Negrete where peace was agreed between the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

and the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...

. It was again destroyed by the Mapuche in 1859. It was not rebuilt until 1861 when a new strong fort was built near the present location of the town.

Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga y Cienfuegos Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga y Cienfuegos (July 21, 1817 – June 13, 1892) was a Chilean politician and lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can ...

br>Diccionario geográfico de la República de Chile, Segunda Ed. Corregida y aumentada, Nueva York, D. Appleton y Compañía, 1899, pg. 471, Negrete. — Villa
/ref>

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 ...

, Negrete spans an area of and has 8,579 inhabitants (4,414 men and 4,165 women). Of these, 5,283 (61.6%) 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 3,296 (38.4%) 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 2.8% (232 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Negrete 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 2013-2016 alcalde is Javier Melo Márquez (

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

). Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Negrete is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Joel Rosales Guzmán (

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 José Pérez Arriagada ( PRSD) as part of the 47th electoral district, together with Los Ángeles,

Tucapel Tucapel is a town and commune in the Bío Bío Province, Bío Bío Region, Chile. It was once a region of Araucanía named for the Tucapel River. The name of the region derived from the rehue and aillarehue of the Moluche people of the area b ...

, Antuco, Quilleco, Santa Bárbara, Quilaco,

, Nacimiento, San Rosendo, Laja and Alto Bío Bío. The commune is represented in the Senate by Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz-Esquide Jara ( PDC) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Bío Bío-Coast).

References

External links

*
Municipality of Negrete
{{Communes in Bío Bío Region Communes of Chile Populated places in Bío Bío Province Populated places established in 1621 1621 establishments in the Spanish Empire