San Bernardo, Chile

San Bernardo () is a city in Chile, located within the Greater Santiago metropolitan area. It is both a commune and the capital of Maipo Province, in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. San Bernardo also serves as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardo.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, San Bernardo covers an area of and has a population of 246,762 (121,535 men and 125,227 women). Of this population, 241,138 (97.7%) lived in urban areas, while 5,624 (2.3%) resided in rural areas. The population increased by 29.3% (55,905 people) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses..

Statistics

*Population: 286,228 (2006 projection)Sistema de Información Regional
Ministry of Planning of Chile.
*Average annual household income: US$16,035 ( PPP, 2009)
*Population below poverty line: 20.9% (2006)

Administration

As a commune, San Bernardo is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2024-2028 alcalde is Christopher White Bahamondes ( PS). The council has the following members:
* Carolina Fuentealba Aguilar ( REP)
* María Núñez García ( REP)
* Juan Rivera Herrera ( REP)
* Marcela Cristina Novoa Sandoval ( RN)
* Mariela Andrea Araya Cuevas (UDI)
* Karina Soledad Leyton Espinoza ( PS)
* Romina Andrea Baeza Illanes ( FA)
* Leonel Bernardo Navarro Ormeño ( PR)
* Jaime López Muñoz ( PAVP)
* Cristina Andrea Cofré Guerrero ( PC)

Within the electoral divisions of Chile, San Bernardo is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Ramón Farías (PPD) and José Antonio Kast (UDI) as part of the 30th electoral district, (together with Buin, Paine and Calera de Tango). The commune is represented in the Senate by Guido Girardi Lavín (PPD) and Andrés Allamand (RN) as part of the 7th senatorial constituency (Santiago-West).

Chilean folklore capital

At a national level, San Bernardo is known as the capital of Chilean folkloric traditions.
This distinction is primarily attributed to two annual events held in the commune: the "Festival Nacional del Folklore de San Bernardo" (English: San Bernardo's National Festival of Folklore) and "Abril Cuecas Mil" (English: A Thousand Cuecas April).

Festival Nacional del Folklore

The Festival Nacional del Folklore de San Bernardo has been held at the end of February since 1972 and draws participants and spectators from all around the country. The festival consists of performances of traditional and folkloric Chilean music, dance and songs, as well as competitions held at the school, corporate and community levels. It also features participants from other countries who are invited to showcase their respective folkloric traditions. An additional part of the festivals is the "Feria de Artesanía Tradicional" (English: Traditional Crafts Fair"), which centers around showcasing and promoting traditional artisanal gastronomy, arts and crafts from Chile and other Latin American cultures.

Abril Cuecas Mil

Abril Cuecas Mil started in 1993 and is held annually on the last Saturday of April. First proposed by professor Arturo García Araneda, a San Bernardino folklorist, the event centers around Cueca, Chile's national dance. The event lasts for around 30 continuous hours and consists of a line-up of musicians, bands, or folkloric groups playing a thousand Cuecas for an open floor, where anyone is welcomed to partake in the dancing. Participants range from enthusiasts and amateurs to professional and trained dancers. The style of Cueca usually alternates between more traditional folkloric styles during the day (e.g., salon, campesina, etc.) and more risqué styles during the night (e.g., porteña, brava, etc.).

Chena's Pucará

The Chena hills, located in the basin of San Bernardo, are home to an Incan sacred site known as the Huaca of Chena or Chena's Pucará.Díaz, P. B. (2006)
"Santiago del Nuevo Extremo ¿Una ciudad sin pasado?"
''Revista de Diseño Urbano y Paisaje'', 3(9), 3-13. Initially thought to be a fortress, the structure in the southern tip of the Chena hills has been denominated as a huaca (Quechuan Wak'a), which is a sacred place and a space of ritual use. The Chena's Pucará was observed to have a zoomorphic design, resembling a puma, which is a characteristic of Incan ceremonial and sacred structures. The word Chena (the name of the hills) means puma in oestrous cycle in the Quechuan language.

Subsequent investigations have further supported the sacred denomination by revealing the structure to be composed of three separate edifications; an outside perimetral wall, a middle perimetral wall and the central enclosure, all which are consistent with Incan architectural tripartition designs.
Furthermore, the principle structure's design is consistent with the structural designs of Incan Ushnu (place of observation). This observatory status has been confirmed by the structure's seemingly perfect lineation of its altar with the first ray of sun during the winter solstice (21 June) and the summer solstice (21 December).Meddens, F., McEwan, C., & Pomacanchari, C. (2010)
"Inca 'stone ancestors' in context at a high-altitude Usnu platform"
''Latin American Antiquity'', 21(2), 173-194.

Currently, the commune of San Bernardo lacks the resources to establish proper administration, maintenance, or security for the area, and Chena's Pucará is facing physical abandonment, neglect, and vandalism, including the dismantling of walls and defecation on the altar. However, in recent years Quechuan and Aymará populations have become interested in negotiating with the authorities for ritualistic and occupation rights in the area.

Sports

* San Bernardo Unido
*Atlético San Bernardo

References

External links

Municipality of San Bernardo

{{Authority control

Capitals of Chilean provinces
Populated places established in 1821
Populated places in Maipo Province
1821 establishments in Chile