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104-621: The mine was exploited during parts of the 20th century when its coal powered the electric grid of the city of Valdivia . The mine has been owned by Compañía Carbonífera San Pedro de Catamutún since 1987. In 1992 and 1993 a gravimetric exploration campaign was conducted. The mine was planned to re-open in 1997. As the Catamutún mines closed in the late 1990s some miners were transferred to Mulpún, but mining in Mulpún ended in 2001 after an explosion accident. An underground coal gasification project in

208-495: A Spanish enclave surrounded by native Huilliche territory. Together with Castro, Chile on the island of Chiloé , it was one of the southernmost colonies of the Empire. Eleven days after the first destruction of Valdivia, a group of 270 Spanish soldiers arrived from Perú. The commander of the troops, colonel Francisco del Campo was convinced that the city of Valdivia needed to be repopulated. After Francisco del Campo's expedition left,

312-465: A celebration that could be described as a small, regional Oktoberfest , despite being celebrated in late January or February of every year (during the local summer, when there is the largest influx of tourists). The main sponsor and organizer is Kunstmann , a local beer company, founded by German nationals, but since bought out by the largest beer and beverages company in Chile (CCU). The Valdivia Book Fair

416-528: A chronicler who witnessed the founding wrote: "Having the governor seen such good comarca and site for populate a city and riverside of such good river, and having such good harbour he founded a city and named it ciudad de Valdivia , and he assigned Alcaldes and a town council ." After Pedro de Valdivia's death, the war with the Mapuches , called the War of Arauco , continued. The Spanish made many attempts to defeat

520-660: A decision by Chilean authorities to conquer the Mapuche in Araucanía ; this in turn opened more land for European and Chilean colonization, at the expense of the Mapuche. In the 20th century two members of the Grob family linked to dairy company COLUN have been accused of usurpation of land and being behind the violent eviction of Mapuche-Huilliche around Ranco Lake . In the Ranco area a conflict known as "La guerra de los moscos" around 1970 marked

624-470: A fire destroyed 18 city blocks in downtown Valdivia, which were rebuilt with modern concrete buildings. By 1911 lumber production, from clearing of native forests, became the most important industry. Cattle-raising was a growing industry, and wheat was grown on the cleared lands. Lumber, cattle, leather, flour and beer were exported. In 1895 the city's population was 8,062 inhabitants and was estimated at 9,704 in 1902. Valdivia, situated at some distance from

728-589: A former city wall, built by the Spaniards to defend the city, known as Torreones : Torreón Los Canelos and Torreón del Barro . Since the first Germans migrated to Valdivia in the mid-1840s, German cultural influence has been visible in the city. Germans in Valdivia settled mostly in the Isla Teja and Collico suburban areas. Until the building of Pedro de Valdivia Bridge , inhabitants of Isla Teja lived isolated from

832-445: A major earthquake and then by being placed under the administration of what they perceived to be a less-deserving city, Puerto Montt . The recent creation of a new, smaller, but more independent region (Los Ríos), with Valdivia as its capital, reduced the previous stigma. Valdivia's varied influences are reflected by its multicultural toponyms that include placenames of Mapuche , Spanish, Quechua and German origin. During much of

936-465: A million Indians living within ten leagues (one league is roughly 4.2 km) from the city. Other historians consider these numbers too high and argue that early Spaniards usually exaggerated in their descriptions. Later the British naturalist Charles Darwin observed that "there is not much cleared land near Valdivia." This suggests that pre-Hispanic agriculture in Valdivia was far more extensive than

1040-581: A relatively new city founded only in 1853 (three hundred and one years later). Since the liberalization of the economy in Chile in the 1980s the forestry sector in Valdivia boomed, first by exporting wood chips to Japan from Corral and then by producing woodpulp in Mariquina (50 km northeast of Valdivia). This led to deforestation and substitution of native Valdivian temperate rainforests to plant pines and eucalyptus , but also created new jobs for people with limited education. Valdivia also benefitted from

1144-454: A society established to bring German settlers to Chile, had one of the first major conflicts. In 1847 and 1848, this society purchased about 15,000 km under fraudulent conditions from Huilliche west of Osorno. The Chilean government objected to these purchases but the transactions were ratified in Chilean courts. Huilliches found various difficulties to defend their lands. One of them

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1248-462: A state-led colonization scheme. Some of these immigrants had left Europe in the aftermath of the German revolutions of 1848–49 . They brought skills and assets as artisans, farmers and merchants to Chile, contributing to the nascent country's economic and industrial development. The German colonization of Valdivia, Osorno and Llanquihue is considered the first of three waves of German settlement in Chile,

1352-458: A strong presence in the area by then. Beginning in the mid-18th century, Valdivia left behind its past as an enclave and a period of agricultural expansion begun. The expansion, that mainly directed to the south, was done mostly by pacific means, but hostilities with indigenous Huilliches did occur. After the Valdivian colonization had reached Bueno River , Spanish authorities pushed for connecting

1456-508: A sub-basin of the larger Pupunahue-Mulpún Neogene Carboniferous Basin. The sedimentary strata have been interpreted to reflect the former existence of four distinct environments: 39°45′16″S 72°56′57″W  /  39.754402°S 72.949087°W  / -39.754402; -72.949087 This Los Ríos Region location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Valdivia Valdivia ( Spanish pronunciation: [balˈdiβja] ; Mapuche : Ainil)

1560-683: A ubiquitous plant in southern Chile, is murra instead of the ordinary Spanish word mora and zarzamora from Valdivia to the Chiloé Archipelago and some towns in the Aysén Region . The use of rr is an adaptation of guttural sounds found in German but difficult to pronounce in Spanish. Similarly the name for marbles is different in Southern Chile compared to areas further north. From Valdivia to

1664-515: 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 Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately 15 km (9 mi) east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla . Since October 2007, Valdivia has been the capital of Los Ríos Region and

1768-472: Is also the capital of Valdivia Province . The national census of 2017 recorded the commune of Valdivia as having 166,080 inhabitants ( Valdivianos ), of whom 150,048 were living in the city. The main economic activities of Valdivia include tourism, wood pulp manufacturing, forestry , metallurgy, and beer production . The city is also the home of the Austral University of Chile , founded in 1954 and

1872-488: Is not much cleared land near Valdivia" which contrasted with the description made by early Spaniards of large fields and extensive croplands. The expansion and economic development of the city were limited in the early 19th century. To jump-start economic development, the Chilean government initiated a highly focussed immigration program under Bernhard Eunom Philippi and later Vicente Pérez Rosales as government agents. Through this program, thousands of Germans settled in

1976-648: Is organized annually by the Municipal Cultural Corporation in Parque Saval. Likewise, the Society of Writers of Chile, through its subsidiary Valdivia and with the collaboration of the Austral University of Chile , regularly holds literary gatherings, a space in which books are presented and local letters are shared with the student community. Several authors born in the Los Ríos Region also stand out in

2080-501: Is the modern Feria Fluvial (English: Riverside Market) on the banks of Valdivia River. The surroundings of Valdivia were described as extensive plains having a large population that cultivated potatoes , maize , quinoa and legumes , among other crops. The population has been estimated by some historians as 30 to 40 thousand inhabitants as of 1548, based on descriptions made by the conquistadors. Pedro Mariño de Lobera , an early conquistador and chronicler , wrote that there were half

2184-661: The Centro de Estudios Científicos . The city of Valdivia and the Chiloé Archipelago were once the two southernmost outliers of the Spanish Empire . From 1645 to 1740, the city depended directly on the Viceroyalty of Peru , which financed the building of the Valdivian fort system that turned Valdivia into one of the most fortified cities of the New World. In the mid-19th century, Valdivia

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2288-747: The Chiloé Archipelago to the Bariloche area. German and German-Chilean enterprises in southwestern Argentina acted as brokers for both Chile and Argentina, assisting both nations in controlling traffic across the southern Andes. Early German settlers had good relations with the indigenous Mapuche and Huilliche , in contrast to their more uneasy relations with the Spanish-descent elite of Valdivia, whom they considered lazy. A pamphlet published in Germany by Franz Kindermann to attract immigrants states that while neither Chileans (meaning those of Spanish descent) nor

2392-677: The Dutch corsair Sebastian de Cordes occupied the site of Valdivia for some months, giving the Dutch government information about this abandoned part of the Spanish Empire. The Spaniards returned on 13 March 1602, when captain Francisco Hernández Ortiz established a fort on the ruins of the city. On September 24 natives attacked the fort unsuccessfully, but laid siege. The Spaniards could not acquire food or supplies, and on 3 February 1604 abandoned

2496-602: The Great Chilean earthquake . With the founding of Universidad Austral in 1954 and the arrival of the CECS research center, Valdivia is now considered a major research center in Chile, particularly in areas related to nature such a glaciology and ecology . The Great Chilean earthquake and the national government's creation of the Los Lagos Region were difficult for Valdivian society. Valdivians resented to be punished first by

2600-666: The Río Cruces y Chorocomayo – a new aquatic park north of the city. Large sections of the city flooded after the earthquake, and a landslide near the Tralcán Mount dammed the Riñihue Lake . Water levels in Lake Riñihue rose more than 20 meters (66 feet), raising the danger of a catastrophic break and of destroying everything downriver. Government authorities drew plans for evacuating the city, but many people left on their own. Danger to

2704-514: The Valdivian temperate rainforests . This became particularly egregious in the period after 1870, when improved roads made connection from the hinterland of Llanquihue Lake to the coast easy. Germans and German-Chileans developed trade across the Andes, controlling mountain passes and establishing the settlement from which Bariloche in Argentina grew. In Osorno, German industrial activity declined in

2808-537: The coastal region of Osorno . German seizure of lands in the south of the Mapuche territory was one of the factors that led chief Mañil in 1859 to call for an uprising to assert control over the territory. According to Mañil, the Chilean government had granted Mapuche land to the immigrants, although it was not under national control. The southern Mapuche communities near the German settlers did not respond to Mañil's efforts to create unrest. Mañil's uprising did provoke

2912-401: The 1920s at the same time that the city's economy turned towards cattle ranching. With land ownership heavily concentrated among a few families, many indigenous Huilliche of Osorno became peasants of large estates ( latifundia ) owned by Germans. Among the achievements of the German immigrants was a deepening of the division of labour , the introduction of wage labour in agriculture, and

3016-504: The 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 15.1% (18,391 persons). The city of Valdivia spans 42.39 km (16 sq mi) had a population of 127,750 and 35,217 homes, giving it a population density of 3,013.7/km (7,805/sq mi). The commune is divided into 19 census districts with one recognized town , Niebla, with an area of 1.55 square kilometers (0.60 sq mi), population of 2,202 (in 1,169 homes) and population density of 1,420.6/km (3,679/sq mi). Within

3120-524: The Arauco War. But that year 4,000 Indians who had been fighting in Martín Ruiz de Gamboa's army rebelled after returning to the area of Valdivia. During the 16th century, the economy of Valdivia was sustained by trade in agricultural products from nearby areas and by the coining and export of placer gold from Villarrica , Madre de Dios and Osorno . In Lima and the rest of Chile, people referred to all

3224-410: The Dutch part of Brazil had equipped the expedition and had secretly appointed Elias Herckman as commander if Brouwer died. Herckman finally occupied the ruins of Valdivia in 1643, renaming it Brouwershaven . The Dutch did not find the gold mines they expected and the hostility of the natives forced them to leave on 28 October 1643. Pedro Álvarez de Toledo y Leiva Viceroy of Peru (1639–1648) knew of

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3328-492: The German settlers leupe lonko , meaning blond heads. As German colonization expanded into new areas beyond the designated colonization areas, such as the coastal region of Osorno and some Andean lakes and valleys, settlers began to have conflicts with indigenous peoples. The Chilean state ignored laws that protected indigenous property, in some instances purportedly because people who were Christian and literate could not be considered indigenous. The Sociedad Stuttgart,

3432-468: The German state as most migration preceded the formation of modern Germany in 1871. Following independence in 1820 , Valdivia entered a period of economic decline. Since colonial times the city had been isolated from Central Chile by hostile Mapuche-controlled territory , and it depended heavily upon seaborne trade with the port of Callao in Peru . With independence, this intra-colonial trade ended, but it

3536-542: The German-style wood houses. The governments of Spain and Germany currently maintain honorary consulates in Valdivia. The city is commonly seen as a tourist magnet in Chile, and sometimes described as La Perla del Sur ( The Pearl of the South ) and as La ciudad mas linda de Chile ( Chile's most beautiful city ). Every year during the summer months of January and February the municipality organizes many free cultural events along

3640-560: The Germans becoming the new European social elite of southern Chile and their adoption of some customs of the older Spanish-descent elite. Another reason for the soured relations was that German immigrants and their descendants became involved in land ownership conflicts with Huilliche, Mapuche and other Chileans. Land conflicts aside some Chilean intellectuals did also become critical of the German community in Chile. Chilean minister Luis Aldunate considered that Germans integrated poorly and that

3744-489: The Germans of southern Chile retained much of their German culture or Deutschtum . In time, communities came to develop a dual Chilean and German sense of belonging. Contrary to the fears of observers from the United States and as promoted by imperial and Nazi Germany, the German community in Chile did not act as an extension of the German state to any significant degree. Indeed, settlement in Chile had little to do with

3848-755: The Hoffmann gristmill , the Rudloff shoe factory, the Anwandter beer company and many more. The steel mills of Corral were the largest recorded private investment in Chile at the time, and were the first steel mills in South America . In 1891 Valdivia became a commune according to a law that created such subdivisions. After the Malleco Viaduct was built in 1890 the railroads advanced further south, reaching Valdivia in 1895. The first passenger train arrived in 1899. In 1909

3952-465: The Mapuche and defend the cities and forts built on their territory. On March 17 of 1575 the city was damaged by a massive earthquake . It has since been likened to the Great Chilean earthquake of 1960 in terms of damage. Until 1575, the Huilliche of Valdivia did not organize any notable resistance against the Spanish. They had fought as Indios amigos with the Spanish against the northern Mapuche in

4056-560: The Mapuche liked to work, the latter were honest. the indians [...] that live next to us are absolutely pacific and inoffensive people, with who we have a better dealing than with the Chileans of Spanish origin It is worth noting that according to Rodolfo Amando Philippi , in the 1850s the inhabitants of Valdivia did not considered themselves Chileans, as to them Chile lay further north. German-indigenous relations chilled over time. This had to do with

4160-467: The Spanish by surprise, avoiding a direct confrontation with the highly defended forts at the entrance to the Valdivia River. When loyal troops in Valdivia heard the news about the fall of Corral they sacked the city and fled south to reinforce Chiloé, passing by Osorno . Chilean Supreme Director, and Libertador , Bernardo O'Higgins founded the city of La Unión south of Valdivia in 1821, to secure

4264-451: The Valdivia culture, which developed in present-day Ecuador in the third millennium BC. There was also a very early Valdivia culture on the coast of Ecuador , but it is not related to the city of Valdivia. This archaeological culture flourished near the small village of Valdivia in Ecuador between 3500 BCE and 1500 BCE. By the time of the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores , Valdivia

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4368-563: The abandonment of all the Spanish settlements and forts in their lands, in what came to be known as the Destruction of the Seven Cities . On the morning of 24 November 1599, the Huilliche attacked the city and massacred its inhabitants, some few being rescued by the ships in the harbour. The border of the Spanish Empire shifted north of the Bío-Bío River . Valdivia was re-established but it was

4472-588: The agriculture practiced in the early 19th century at the time of his visit. The first European to visit Valdivia River's estuary was the Genoese captain Juan Bautista Pastene , who took possession of it in 1544 in the name of the Spanish king, Charles V . He named the river after the Governor of Chile Pedro de Valdivia . Pedro de Valdivia later travelled by land to the river described by Pastene, and founded

4576-449: The aim of re-selling these lands to German immigrants. The bankrupt Flindt had made similar purchases near Osorno . As the Chilean state nullified Kindermann's and Renous' purchases, the first immigrants to arrive were instead settled in Isla Teja in Valdivia, a river island then called Isla Valenzuela. Worried about the potential occupation of Southern Chile by European powers, Chilean authorities approved plans for colonization of

4680-596: The area, incorporating then-modern technology and know-how to develop agriculture and industry. While immigrants that arrived to the Llanquihue area were often poor farmers, Valdivia received more educated immigrants, including political exiles and merchants. Some of the immigrants that arrived in Valdivia established workshops and built new industries. One of the most famous immigrants was Carlos Anwandter , an exile from Luckenwalde who arrived in Valdivia in 1850 and in 1858 founded Chile's first German school. Other Germans left

4784-422: The best of them, we shall defend our adopted country joining in the ranks of our new countrymen, against any foreign oppression and with the decision and firmness of the man that defends his country, his family and his interests. Never will have the country that adopts us as its children, reason to repent of such illustrated, human and generous proceeding,... Valdivia prospered with industries, including shipyards,

4888-494: The capital Santiago and the main port city, Valparaíso . The commercial and human flux Valdivia suffered two setbacks in the early 20th century, first the connection of Osorno by railroad to central Chile which meant that Valdivia lost the quality of being the port that connected Osorno to Central Chile . Later on 1911 the opening of the Panama Canal meant a decrease in ship traffic all over Chile since ships travelling from

4992-424: The celebration of what was seen as an affirmation of the legitimacy of the Spanish king. However, Valdivian independentists, such as Camilo Henríquez , saw an opportunity to gain absolute independence from Spain, organized a coup on 1 November 1811, and joined other Chilean cities that were already revolting against the old order. Four months after the coup, on 16 March 1812 a counterrevolutionary coup took control of

5096-488: The city and became settlers, drawn by the promise of free land. They were often given forested land, which they cleared to turn into farms. Native Mapuche and Huilliche either sold their land or were pushed into reservations . The Osorno department of Valdivia Province was moved to Llanquihue Province (created in 1853) as consequence of German immigration to the Llaquihue area. We shall be honest and laborious Chileans as

5200-591: The city and created a War Council. The War Council broke trade relations with the rest of Chile and confirmed Valdivia's loyalty to the Spanish government. Even after several defeats of the Spanish troops during the Chilean Independence War , Valdivia and Chiloé remained loyal to the Spanish King. By 1820 the newly created Chilean Navy , commanded by Lord Thomas Cochrane , captured Valdivia , but failed to liberate Chiloé. Cochrane's land-based attack took

5304-704: The city of Valdivia in 1552 as Santa María la Blanca de Valdivia . It was the southernmost Spanish settlement in the Americas at the time of the founding. Following the establishment of the church of Santa María la Blanca in Valdivia, more buildings were constructed. Mariño de Lobera described it as "the second city in the Kingdom of Chile ". Many of Chile's most influential conquistadors and future governors were granted land in Valdivia, such as Jerónimo de Alderete , Rodrigo de Quiroga , Francisco and Pedro de Villagra , apart from Pedro de Valdivia himself. Jerónimo de Bibar ,

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5408-520: The city of Valdivia with the settlements at Chacao Channel by a road. Self-governing juntas appeared in Spanish America and Spain after Napoleon occupied Spain and held the Spanish king Fernando VII captive. Many juntas, as was the case of Chile, declared plans to rule their territory in the absence of the legitimate king. At the time of the first governing junta of Chile in 1810 the Valdivian governor, an Irishman , Albert Alexander Eagar, led

5512-466: The city was reduced after a large team of workers opened a drainage channel in the landslide; water levels of the lake slowly returned to normal levels. There is evidence that a similar landslide and earthquake happened in 1575. After the Great Chilean earthquake Valdivia's economy and political status declined. Much of the city was destroyed and many inhabitants left. The 1973 Chilean coup d'état and

5616-506: The city, such as Maha Vial , Iván Espinoza Riesco, José Baroja , Aldo Astete Cuadra, Efraín Miranda Cárdenas, among others. According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute , the commune of Valdivia spans an area of 1,015.6 km (392 sq mi) and has 140,559 inhabitants (68,510 men and 72,049 women). Of these, 129,952 (92.5%) lived in urban areas and 10,607 (7.5%) in rural areas . Between

5720-764: The city, where it was common that children first learned to speak German before Spanish. Nowadays, the German language is preserved by the Instituto Alemán Carlos Anwandter one of Latin America 's oldest German schools. German descendants also form Valdivia's oldest fire station Germania, located in Isla Teja. German immigrants and their descendants formed their social club Club Alemán, which after World War II changed names to Club la Unión . German workers once had their own club simply called El Alemán (The German). Valdivia also hosts Bierfest Valdivia ,

5824-499: The closed Mulpún mine was made public in 2009 but was put on hold in 2013. The project was a joint-venture between Antofagasta Minerals and Carbon Energy until 2013. At Mulpún there is one sub-horizontal coal layer whose thickness vary from 9 to 11 m. The coal is sub-bituminous type. Geologically the coal layers of Mulpún are belong to the so-called Mulpún Beds, a unit similar to the Pupunahue Beds that extends across large of

5928-471: The coast, on the Calle-calle river, is a German town. Everywhere you meet German faces, German signboards and placards alongside the Spanish. There is a large German school, a church and various Vereine , large shoe-factories, and, of course, breweries... The economic prosperity of Valdivia continued throughout the first half of the 20th century. In 1917 the first "Valdivian Week" (Spanish: Semana Valdiviana )

6032-409: The colonial period, Valdivia was essentially a military camp, a walled city surrounded by hostile natives. The coastal defenses and their garrisons made up a large part of the population. After several fires and earthquakes, nearly all buildings from this period were destroyed, with the exception of the military defenses. Valdivia's best known historical landmarks are now the two towers which were part of

6136-602: The colonization of both the shores of Llanquihue Lake and the mouth of the Maullín River in what is now the Los Lagos Region of southern Chile. The mentioned river was also to be made navigable . In 1844, Philippi formed a partnership with Ferdinand Flindt , a German merchant based in Valparaíso , who also represented Prussia there as consul . With financial backing from Flindt, Philippi purchased land in Valdivia and along

6240-567: The country should avoid "exclusive and dominant races to monopolize the colonization". For this reason after the Occupation of Araucanía was accomplished in 1883, settlers of nationalities other than Germans were preferred in colonization programs. According to Chile's Agencia General de Colonización , in the 1882-1897 period, German settlers made up only 6% of the foreign immigrants that arrived to Chile, ranking behind those of Spanish, French, Italian, Swiss and English origin. The Huilliche called

6344-548: The daily life of the settlers in eastern Llanquihue Lake. In this area, potato fields, cattle and apiculture were negatively impacted by the eruption, which lasted until 1895. Cattle were evacuated from the area and settlers lobbied the government of Jorge Montt to be relocated elsewhere. While Pre-German architecture of southern Chile was already different from that of Central Chile the arrival of Germans "revolutionized" local architecture giving it additional peculiarities. The introduction of German architecture elements into

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6448-463: The development of salmon aquaculture in the 1990s, but to a much lesser extent than places such as Puerto Montt and Chiloé. Valdivia is often promoted for its unique characteristics, that make it different from other cities in Chile: Valdivia has an early Spanish colonial past, plus a later history of German colonization . Both eras left visible landmarks such as the forts of Corral Bay and

6552-451: The end a jury picks the winners in different categories. The parade is by tradition started by a boat which presents la reina de los ríos . In recent years Valdivians have showed an increasing interest in nature and ecotourism . An example of this was the formation of Acción por los Cisnes an ecologist group formed to protect black-necked swans and the natural environment that surrounds the city, particularly wetlands created or expanded by

6656-401: The end of loss of land for Mapuche-Huilliche families. Following an extensive legal study on the origin of property a legal case was presented in Chilean courts for the recovery of these lands in 2012. Vicente Pérez Rosales burned down huge tracts of forested lands to clear lands for the settlers. In 1851 the forest of Chan Chan between Osorno and La Unión00asre burned by Pichi Juan on

6760-571: The establishment of Chile's first beer brewery in Valdivia in 1851 by Carl Anwandter. Some foreign observers made exaggerated accounts regarding the impact Germans had in local affairs; for example, Isaac F. Marcosson wrote in 1925 that Valdivia "was a collection of mud houses" before the arrival of Germans. Trade between Germans and German-Chileans with indigenous peoples was not uncommon. Indeed, some German merchants catered specifically to them. For example, in San José de la Mariquina , Mapuches were

6864-586: The first inhabitants of Valdivia and Chile travelled to America by watercraft and not across a land-bridge in the Bering Strait . During at least the Middle Archaic , southern Chile was populated by indigenous groups who shared a common lithic culture called the Chan-Chan Complex , named for the archaeological site of Chan-Chan located some 35 km north of Valdivia along the coast. According to

6968-697: The fort, with the last starving survivors rescued by ship. The Dutch governor of the East Indies Hendrik Brouwer , learned about the situation in Valdivia, and decided to establish a base there for further attacks against the Viceroy of Peru. This plan was well accepted as the Netherlands was at war with Spain. The Dutch had previously taken the North of Brazil from the Spanish-Portuguese crown , and

7072-406: The gold from these sources as " gold from Valdivia. " Many merchants of Lima had envoys in Valdivia, and the city developed a large ship building industry. It produced the largest ships in the Kingdom of Chile . After the demoralising Battle of Curalaba in 1598, in which the Mapuche killed governor Óñez de Loyola , the Mapuche and Huilliche made a mass rebellion. The Indians destroyed or forced

7176-407: The government wished. By 1850, this last group was too small to establish a functional German settlement at the shores of Llanquihue Lake as Philippi had envisioned. He instead decided to settle the Catholic families in the interior of Valdivia Province. Upon his return to Chile in 1851, Philippi was admonished by minister Antonio Varas for sending too many Protestant settlers. As punishment Philippi

7280-493: The idea of creating a South American empire was attractive. In spite of his advanced age, Hendrik Brouwer left his post as governor in the East Indies to personally lead the expedition. The Dutch fleet destroyed the Fort of Carelmapu and the city of Castro before arriving at Corral Bay at the mouth of the Valdivia River. Hendrik Brouwer died the 7th of August in Puerto Inglés while waiting for better winds to sail north to Valdivia. John Maurice of Nassau while in charge of

7384-442: The local economy. The nature of the German immigrants to Valdivia contributed to the city's urban and cosmopolitan outlook, especially when compared to Osorno . At first, German settlements outside Valdivia were largely based on subsistence economies . As transportation developed, the settlers' economy shifted into one linked to national and international markets and based on the exploitation of natural resources, chiefly wood from

7488-551: The local wooden architecture was possible due to the arrival of carpenters among the immigrants. The Germans introduced large dimension glass and developed industrial wallpaper . The German legacy is also reflected in the widespread use of stabilizing diagonals in the timber frame of houses. With the Germans the interior walls of larger houses begun to be made of timber. The architecture of houses did however retained much of their earlier features, such as being compact with rectangular or square floor plans. Their patio disposition

7592-491: The main customers of German shopkeepers. A lucrative leather industry that Germans created was supplied by indigenous traders from across the Andes until the 1880s when the Argentine Army displaced indigenous communities . The city of Bariloche in present-day Argentina grew out by a shop established by German-Chilean merchant Carlos Wiederhold . Beginning with him, businessmen of German heritage brought in labourers from

7696-692: The man that defends his country, his family and his interests. Never will have the country that adopts us as its children, reason to repent of such illustrated, human and generous proceeding,... Pérez Rosales succeeded Philippi as government agent in Europe in 1850; he returned to Chile in 1852 with many German families to settle the shores of Llanquihue Lake . The sponsored colonization of Valdivia and Osorno lasted until 1858. The shores of Llanquihue Lake were largely colonized between 1852 and 1875, but Puerto Montt (then called Melipulli) and Puerto Varas had already been founded by Chileans in 1850. Frutillar , on

7800-402: The military junta reorganized the political divisions of Chile and declared Valdivia a province of the Los Lagos Region with Puerto Montt as the regional capital. Many Valdivians resented the decision, and felt theirs should have been the legitimate regional capital—while Valdivia was founded in 1552, and had resisted pirate attacks , hostile natives and several earthquakes, Puerto Montt was

7904-487: The military's actions that followed brought dozens of detainees to Valdivia and saw the imposing of a nationwide curfew . In October a group of 12 young men, among them José Gregorio Liendo , were brought from the Complejo Forestal y Maderero Panguipulli in the Andes to be executed in Valdivia by firing squad due to alleged participation in the assault on Neltume police station and "guerrilla activities". By 1974,

8008-666: The north Atlantic to north Pacific no longer had to pass through the Straits of Magellan or visit any Chilean port. On May 22, 1960, Chile suffered the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, rating 9.5 on the moment magnitude scale , with Valdivia being the most affected city. The earthquake generated devastating tsunamis that affected Japan, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii . Spanish-colonial forts around Valdivia were severely damaged, while soil subsidence destroyed buildings, deepened local rivers, and created wetlands of

8112-645: The orders of Pérez Rosales. Another area affected by these fires spanned a strip in the Andean foothills from the Bueno River to Reloncaví Sound . One of the most famous intentional fires burned the Fitzroya forests between Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt in 1863. This burning took advantage of a drought in 1863 . The forests were burned to clear them rapidly for settlers, who had no means of subsistence other than agriculture. In 1893, Calbuco volcano erupted, disrupting

8216-530: The polygenetic theory of the French scholar Paul Rivet, people from Melanesia, Polynesia, Australia and northern Asia arrived, in a period between 30 and 4 millennia ago, to the coasts of the New World, sailing in improvised boats. One of the most suggestive hypotheses of the entire polygenetic theory is the probable trip that some members of the Japanese Jōmon culture made to the New World and its strong influence on

8320-479: The population, the presence of descendants of migrants of German origin and of Spanish origin also stands out, colonies that are grouped into different social, educational, sports and cultural institutions. German colonization of Valdivia, Osorno and Llanquihue From 1850 to 1875, some 30,000 German immigrants settled in the region around Valdivia , Osorno and Llanquihue in Southern Chile as part of

8424-448: The river site, such as concerts, sporting events, and other entertainment. To mark and celebrate the end of the touristic summer months, halfway through February all entertainment reaches its climax with the celebration of noche Valdiviana (Valdivian night). During this night many local groups and communities present themselves on boats during a night parade over the river. Every boat has its own theme related with one theme of that year. At

8528-500: The second half of the 19th century. The family's Chilean servants spoke German with their patrons and used Mapudungun with their Mapuche customers. In Valdivia the Valdivia's Deutsche Zeitung and its immediate predecessor Deutsche Zeitung für Süd-Chile circulated from 1886 to 1912. The German spoken around Llanquihue Lake gave origin to a dialect called Lagunen-deutsch , a local variant of Alemañol . The word for blackberry ,

8632-506: The second lasting from 1882 to 1914 and the third from 1918 onward. Settlement by ethnic Germans has had a long-lasting influence on the society, economy and geography of Chile in general and Southern Chile in particular. Beginning in 1842, German expatriate Bernhard Eunom Philippi sent a proposal for German colonization of Southern Chile to the Chilean government; he presented a second colonization scheme in 1844. Both schemes were rejected by Chilean authorities. The second scheme considered

8736-492: The shores of Llanquihue Lake, was founded in 1856. Puerto Montt and the zone around Llanquihue Lake developed rapidly; its status as a colonization territory, established in 1853, was superseded in 1861 when the Llanquihue area was constituted as a regular province. The zone had a formal police force established in 1859 to deal with cattle theft – the most common crime at the time. By 1871, Puerto Montt had over 3,000 inhabitants and

8840-636: The southern bank of the Bueno River to be developed by future immigrants. Philippi's brother, Rodolfo Amando Philippi , contributed to the colonization plans by recruiting nine German families to emigrate to Chile. These families arrived in Chile in 1846 aboard one of Flindt's ships. By the time the first immigrants arrived, Flindt had gone bankrupt and his properties were taken over by another German merchant, Franz Kindermann . Kindermann supported German immigration and took over Flindt's responsibilities. Land purchases of dubious legality were made by Kindermann and his father-in-law Johann Renous around Trumao with

8944-587: The southern territories; they also sought to promote residential development to make a claim for territorial continuity. The Chilean legislature entered colonist recruitment with passage of the Law of Colonization and Vacant Lots ( Ley de Colonización y Tierras Baldías ), which was signed by president Manuel Montt in 1845. That same year, Salvador Sanfuentes was appointed intendant of the Province of Valdivia and tasked with surveying its colonization potential. To carry out

9048-473: The strategic importance of Valdivia and decided to repopulate and fortify it once and for all. He financed partly the expedition to repopulate Valdivia with his own capital. The contingent in charge of the mission was organized in Peru and consisted of seventeen ships filled with building materials and supplies that astounded contemporaries by its magnitude. The local government of Chile could not secure Valdivia as it

9152-558: The sub-surface of Los Ríos Region and whose coal has also been mined at Catamutún and Pupunahue . The coal layers are of Oligo - Miocene age and lie near the base of Pupunahue Beds. Below these lies the basement which is made up by the Bahía Mansa Metamorphic Complex . The Mulpún Bedsare overlaid across an angular uncorformity by Quaternary deposits. The coals of Mulpún and the whole Mulpún Beds lie in Mulpún Basin,

9256-482: The survey, Sanfuentes commissioned Philippi as "provincial engineer". The outbreak of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states persuaded the previously hesitant Philippi to travel to Europe to recruit settlers. The Chilean government initially ordered Philippi to recruit 180–200 German Catholic families. Troubled by Catholic bishops in Germany who opposed the departure of their parishioners, Philippi asked for and

9360-723: The time , with 17 forts. During this time it was several times proposed to move the city of Valdivia to Mancera Island . Valdivia's original site, downtown of modern Valdivia was repopulated in 1684. Once Spanish presence in Valdivia was reestablished in 1645 , authorities sent convicts from all-over the Viceroyalty of Peru to construct the Valdivian Fort System . The convicts, many of whom were Afro-Peruvians , became later soldier-settlers once they had served their sentence. Close contacts with indigenous Mapuche meant many soldiers were bilingual in Spanish and Mapudungun . A 1749 census in Valdivia shows that Afro-descendants had

9464-588: The urbanised area of Valdivia as well as in its outskirts. The area around Valdivia may have been populated since 12,000 – 11,800 BC , according to archaeological discoveries in Monte Verde (less than 200 km south of Valdivia), which would place it about a thousand years before the Clovis culture in North America. This challenges the "Clovis First" model of migration to the New World . Researchers speculate that

9568-460: The way to Osorno, a city that had been repopulated in 1796 by his father Ambrosio O'Higgins . Valdivia had been a province of the General Captaincy of Chile and was in 1826 incorporated as one of the eight provinces of Chile. On February 20, 1835, Valdivia was affected by the worst earthquake in the area in several decades, an event witnessed by Charles Darwin . He also stated that "there

9672-501: The whole Llanquihue Province had a population of 17,538. Valdivia, situated at some distance from the coast, on the Calle-Calle River, is a German town. Everywhere you meet German faces, German signboards and placards alongside the Spanish. There is a large German school, a church and various Vereine , large shoe-factories, and, of course, breweries... Compared to Germans who settled in the big cities and ports of northern Chile,

9776-515: Was a language barrier and had thus to rely on translators some of which were scammers. The functions of the Comisario de Naciones were overtaken by ordinary judges in the mid-19th century who were not aware of indigenous land possessions. As a result of Chilean and European settlers, including Germans, settling around the Bueno River , Osorno Huilliches living in the Central Valley migrated to

9880-650: Was a port on the sea and had access to the interior via the network of the Cruces and Calle-Calle rivers, both tributaries of the Valdivia. Ainil may be described as "a kind of little Venice ," as it had large areas of wetlands and canals. Since that period, most of these waterways and wetlands have been drained or filled. The market in Ainil received shellfish and fish from the coast, legumes from Punucapa , and other foods from San José de la Mariquina , an agricultural zone northeast of Valdivia. A remnant of this ancient trade

9984-451: Was also retained. The impact of the German immigration was such that Valdivia was for a while a Spanish–German bilingual city with "German signboards and placards alongside the Spanish". The prestige of the German language helped it to acquire qualities of a superstratum in southern Chile. The temporary decline in the use of Spanish is exemplified by the trade the Manns family carried out in

10088-403: Was appointed governor of Magallanes instead of being appointed leader of the future Llanquihue settlement as he wished. In Magallanes, Philippi was killed by indigenous people in 1852. We shall be honest and laborious Chileans as the best of them, we shall defend our adopted country joining in the ranks of our new countrymen, against any foreign oppression and with the decision and firmness of

10192-516: Was celebrated. Chile's oldest beauty contest, "Queen of The Rivers" (Spanish: Reina de Los Ríos ) began the same year. The city evolved as an early tourist center in Chile, while popular songs that named Valdivia and the Calle-Calle River made it better known in Chilean popular culture. The Pedro de Valdivia Bridge crossing the Valdivia River was built in 1954. Valdivia came to be one of the most important industrial centers in Chile together with

10296-558: Was declared colonization agent by the Chilean government. One of the most notable early immigrants was Carl Anwandter , who settled in Valdivia in 1850 after having participated in the Revolution of 1848 in Prussia . Most immigrants had their own economic means and were therefore free to settle where they wished. They settled mainly around Valdivia. The few Catholic families from Württemberg, who needed Chilean state support, could be allocated as

10400-524: Was engaged in continuous war with the Mapuches and was deeply dependent on the Real Situado , an annual payment of silver from Potosí to finance the army of Chile. The Valdivia enclave was placed directly under the control of the Viceroyalty of Peru that administered Valdivia from its repopulation in 1645 until 1740. Corral , located on the river entrance to Valdivia, became one of the most fortified bay at

10504-527: Was granted permission to recruit non-Catholic immigrants. Philippi also succeeded in having the Chilean government put fixed prices on fiscal colonization land to stimulate immigration of economically independent individuals and avoid speculation. Most of the immigrants recruited by Philippi during his 1848–1851 stay in Germany were Protestant . The few Catholic families recruited were all poor people from Württemberg . The immigrants recruited by Philippi arrived in 1850 at Valdivia , where Vicente Pérez Rosales

10608-567: Was inhabited by the Huilliche ( Mapudungun for People of the South ). The Huilliche and Mapuche were both referred to by the Spaniards as Araucanos . Their main language was a variant of Mapudungun, the Mapuche language. A large village called Ainil stood where present-day downtown Valdivia has been developed. The Huilliche called the river, Ainilebu (now known as the Valdivia River). Ainil seemed to have been an important trade center; it

10712-558: Was not replaced by new trade routes. About 6,000 German settlers arrived in southern Chile between 1850 and 1875. Of these, 2,800 settled around Valdivia. The plurality of those Germans settled in Valdivia came from Hesse (19%), and 45% of them had worked as artisans in Germany. The next largest occupation group were farmers (28%), followed by merchants (13%). Most German settlers who reached Valdivia brought current assets , including machinery or other valuable goods. Wealthy immigrants in Valdivia provided credit to poorer ones, stimulating

10816-426: Was the port of entry for German immigrants who settled in the city and surrounding areas . In 1960, Valdivia was severely damaged by the Great Chilean earthquake , the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, at magnitude 9.5. The earthquake caused c. 2 m of subsidence around Valdivia leaving large areas of former pastures and cultivated fields permanently flooded. Today there are various protected wetlands within

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