Putagán (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 ...
: "water stream") is a village in the
Chilean
municipality of
Villa Alegre,
Province of Linares,
Maule Region
The Maule Region ( es, Región del Maule, ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region derives its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a ...
. Pop. 622. Altitude (meters) 112. Time zone (est) UTC−4(-3DT). Located 292 Kilometers (182 miles) south of Santiago. Its economy is based around agricultural activities like vineyards, rice, corn plantations, and lately berries for the European markets.
Putagán is one of the oldest
Spanish settlements in the current Maule Region. Around 1580, the then
Bishop of
Santiago de Chile, Fray
Diego de Medellín, created two
missions south of the Maule River that remained under the jurisdiction of the
Santiago bishops for more than 170 years. The missions were
Cauquenes and Putagán. The
parish of Putagán was transferred to
Linares, after the latter's foundation and is now the main parish of
Linares Diocese, "El Sagrario", based on the
Cathedral church of the
diocese.
Between 1913 and 1954 Putágan was the starting point of the narrow gauge
Putagán—Colbún railway
The Putagán—Colbún railway, locally known as the Tren Chico (Small Train), was a long narrow gauge railway that operated between the communities of Yerba Buenas and Colbún in the province of Linares in Chile. It was in existence between 1 ...
terminating in the city of
Colbún.
The
Putagán River passes south of the village and forms the border of the municipalities of Villa Alegre and Linares.
External links
Google map of Putagán and the Putagán River, to the south
Populated places in Linares Province
{{Maule-geo-stub