Las Ánimas, is an industrial and residential
neighborhood
A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...
located on the northern side of
Valdivia
Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and ...
Its main access points are: From the north, through route T-202 and the
Puente Santa Elvira and through the south,
Puente Calle-Calle. It is also connected to
Teja Island
Teja island (Spanish: ''isla Teja'') is an island in the city of Valdivia, Chile, surrounded by three rivers: Cau-Cau river to the north, Cruces river to the west and Valdivia river to the southeast. Prior to the mid-19th century, the island was k ...
, by the Cau-Cau bridge.
History
The beginnings of the area date to the foundation of
Valdivia
Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and ...
in 1552, when the Spanish conquistador
Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva (; April 17, 1497 – December 25, 1553) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' and the first royal governor of Chile. After having served with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in ...
crossed from present-day Las Animas to Valdivia
During the re-founding of the city by the Spaniards, around 1645, a fortification was erected on the "Los Castaños" area as way of defending themselves from the attack of the indigenous population, however this emplacement was destroyed on December 25 of that year.
The toponym of the area (Ánima, derived from the
latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
word ''alma)'' is said to be a reference to the "souls" of the Spanish soldiers that died during the destruction of the fortification.
By the early 1820s, this area of the city started a transformation process focused on agriculture and industrial development which continued through the years of the
German colonization process but abruptly ended after the
1960 Valdivian Earthquake, which destroyed factories, residential areas and the main connection point, the
Calle Calle Bridge. In 1996, and due to the increase in pedestrian and vehicular traffic, a secondary bridge of the same name was opened.
Institutions and Public Services
This part of the city is somewhat well equipped in regards to public service institutions of which, the most important are:
* Centro de Salud Familiar Las Animas (CESFAM)
* «Agustín Edwards Ross» 2nd. Firefighter Company
* Inacap Valdivia
*
Aeródromo Las Marías (Club Aéreo de Valdivia).
Industries.
*
Asenav (Shipbuilding and maintenance)
* Infodema (Wood and pulp)
See also
*
Puente Calle-Calle
References
Neighborhoods in Valdivia
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