Queilén 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 o ...

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 ...

Chiloé Province Chiloé Province ( es, Provincia de Chiloé) is one of the four provinces in the southern Chilean region of Los Lagos (X). It consists of all of Chiloé Archipelago (including Chiloé Island) with the exception of the Desertores Islands. The pro ...

, in the Archipelago of Chiloé in southern

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 eas ...

. It covers a portion of the southeast of the Greater Island of Chiloé, between the communes of

Chonchi Chonchi is a Chilean town and commune located in Los Lagos Region. The commune consists of the town of Chonchi and the following villages: * Rauco * Quinched * Vilupulli * Teupa * Terao * Petanes * Notue * Quiao * Huillinco * Cucao Demographic ...

, Quellón,

Tranqui Island Tranqui is an island of the Chiloé Archipelago in southern Chile. It has three sectors: San Jose, Tranqui Nepué and Sentinel, all with small populations. A significant part of its forest still has not been touched by the subsistence agriculture ...

and

Acuy Island Acuy is a small island southeast of the town of Queilén. It is about 2 km long and 500 m wide at its largest points, and therefore has only a small population. The population is mainly devoted to fishing and gathering luga. See also * ...

. For the 2002 census, the population of the town had grown to 1,912 inhabitants, according to INE; the municipality had a population of 5,138. Its capital is the town of the same name, known on the island for its beaches and views of the

Gulf of Corcovado Gulf of Corcovado () is a large body of water separating the Chiloé Island from the mainland of Chile. Geologically, it is a forearc basin that has been carved out by Quaternary glaciers. Most of the islands of Chiloé Archipelago are located ...

and 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 ...

. It has a quieter atmosphere than the larger towns of the province (

Ancud Ancud () is a city in southern Chile located in the northernmost part of the island and province of Chiloé, in Los Lagos Region. It is the second largest city of Chiloé Archipelago after Castro. The city was established in 1768 to function as ...

, Castro and Quellón). It was founded by Anthony Cipriano in the early nineteenth century. This community has with the Public Library No. 333, which since 2002 joined the program Biblioredes services, allowing free access to Internet and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scien ...

services closer to all inhabitants from the community.Antecedentes de Queilén

History

The exact date of the foundation of Queilén is unknown. In 1703 there was an Arab community with a chapel and in 1771 a new church was built.

Jesuit missionaries , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

and

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 ...

settlers, granted encomiendas in the area, gradually occupied Queilén. Between 1818 and 1821 the

cavalry

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Antonio Cipriano, explored the coastline and drew up maps, preparing the population for military resistance to the expected

an landings. In 1890, in recognition of his accomplishments, the area was named after captain Grille. It seems that the community never accepted the name "Puerto Grille" and simply continued to use Queilén.

Architecture

In 1867, Queilén was a little Chilote port with a church. Around 1924 it comprised a few houses,

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type ...

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional se ...

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

civil registry Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events ( births, marriages, and deaths) of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database has different names in different countries and even in differ ...

and state schools. In 1937 a fire destroyed 15 houses, this, added to the isolation of the community, contributed to emigration towards Castro and

. There was a gradual degeneration of the visual quality of the town, which is now being reversed by the incentive of tourism.

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 inc ...

of the National Statistics Institute, Queilén spans an area of and has 5,138 inhabitants (2,663 men and 2,475 women). Of these, 1,912 (37.2%) 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 3,226 (62.8%) 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. The population grew by 3.8% (186 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Services

Queilen city have basic services like hotel, cash dispenser, hospital, cultural center, museum, library, gas station, restaurants, supermarkets, telephone service, police office, aerodrome, port and pier.

Administration

As a commune, Queilén is a third-level

administrative division of Chile The administrative division or territorial organization of Chile exemplifies characteristics of a unitary state. State administration is functionally and geographically decentralized, as appropriate for each authority in accordance with the law. ...

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 Alcalde (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian '' cabildo'' (the municipal council) ...

who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Carlos Gómez Miranda ( PDC). Within the

electoral divisions of Chile Chile has two distinct electoral division systems: * To elect members of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate, Chile is divided into several electoral divisions, namely electoral districts and senatorial constituencies. * To elect members of t ...

, Queilén is represented in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

by Gabriel Ascencio (PDC) and Alejandro Santana ( RN) as part of the 58th electoral district, (together with Castro,

Quemchi Quemchi is a Chilean town and commune in Los Lagos Region, in Chiloé Province, on the eastern shore of Chiloé Island. It acquired certain celebrity because the famous Chilean writer Francisco Coloane was born near the town. The town is served ...

Dalcahue Dalcahue is a port city and a commune in Chiloé Province, on Chiloé Island, Los Lagos Region, Chile. Demographics According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, the Dalcachue commune spans an area of and had 10,693 inha ...

Curaco de Vélez Curaco de Vélez is Chilean commune in Chiloé Archipelago which is part of Chiloé Province and Los Lagos Region. The commune is located in western Quinchao Island while the eastern part is administered by the commune of Quinchao. History Curaco ...

Quinchao Quinchao is a Chilean commune located in Chiloé Province, Los Lagos Region. The seat of government lies in the town of Achao on the island. Geography The commune of Quinchao includes most of the Quinchao Island (sharing its territory with the ...

, Puqueldón,

, Quellón, Chaitén,

Hualaihué Hualaihué () is a Chilean commune located in Palena Province, Los Lagos Region. The communal capital is the town of Hornopirén. Demographics According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Hualaihué spans an area of and ...

, Futaleufú and Palena). The commune is represented in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

by Camilo Escalona Medina ( PS) and Carlos Kuschel Silva (RN) as part of the 17th senatorial constituency (Los Lagos Region).

References

Hotel Yatehue

External links

*
Municipality of QueilénHotel Yatehue
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queilen Llanquihue Province Communes of Chile Populated places in Chiloé Province 1778 establishments in the Spanish Empire