New Imperial
Nueva Imperial is a Chilean city and commune in the province of Cautín in the region of Araucanía, in southern Chile.
It is located in the western territories of the Intermediate Depression and the last mountainous foothills of the southern Nahuelbuta mountain range; about 35 kilometers west of the city of Temuco.
Integra together with the communes of Saavedra, Carahue and Toltén make up the Araucanía Coast Municipalities Association.
The commune of Cholchol was separated from Nueva Imperial after the 2002 census.
History
Ancient Imperial (1551-1600)
The city of La Imperial (present-day Carahue) was founded by Pedro de Valdivia in 1551 on a hill facing the Imperial River, establishing a fort to further the conquest of southern Chile. Its name is due to the fact that at the entrances to the houses or rucas of the Mapuches there were figures similar to the double-headed eagle, a symbol that reminded the Spanish conquerors of the coat of arms of Emperor Carlos V, this was the reason for choosing the name of The Imperial. This city was located in the middle of the Mapuche settlements, as a result of which great battles took place, among which Alonso de Ercilla, writer of "La Araucana", participated. The Imperial was evacuated and abandoned in the year 1600 due to the destruction caused by the fights caused by the Arauco War between the Spanish and indigenous forces.
New Imperial (1882-)
During the process of Occupation of Araucanía, the Minister of War Carlos Castellón Larenas decided to personally direct the last foundations of military forts. In February 1882 he arrived in Angol, and on the 18th of that month he set out in the direction to Lumaco, together with the Colonel in Chief of the Border Forces Gregorio Urrutia and 250 men, some officials and people who had joined the entourage. After visiting this fort and passing through the Cholchol fort, Castellón headed to the site where the famous city of the conquerors was based, La Imperial , whose ruins he arrived on February 21. The Mapuche owners of this region called it Carahue, which means "where there was a fort". The minister left a detachment of 25 men in La Imperial and traveled the next day 20 kilometers to the east, to the confluence of the Cholchol river with the Cautín. The Carahue detachment began the preliminary work on a fort on the 22nd, also the base of the town of the same name that was formed shortly after.
On February 23, 1882, the party camped on the left bank of the Cholchol River, near its confluence with the Imperial. The land belonged to Longko Huenul, who spoke with the minister to establish the sale of part of his land to found a town. A report from the time states:
"Conversation was made with the Indian Huenul, who said that the people were not pleased."If there is a people, he said, their children become tunantes and takers, and sell the rest of the land to plains, as it has happened elsewhere, and they lose at last what they have, while they now live quiet. The Colonel replied that it would not be so: that the Government had forbidden the sale of land to the countrymen; that only the Fisco could buy land, but that the Fisco did not buy but those lands that did not need to live, leaving them enough for their menesteres. A town brought many advantages. The eggs were sold forty cents a dozen, the hen seventy-five cents, the lamb two pesos and the sheep in five pesos.
The minister entered the fair party and offered payment for an extension of 200 hectares; the Indian asked for 400 pesos.
The colonel told the Indian that this would be a very high price and that the government had bought the extensive land north of the Malleco at a rate of twenty cents the hectare. The Indian insisted on his order and did not want to go down. The minister offered 200 pesos. The Huenul cacique didn't go down a quartz. The Colonel encouraged him that he had been complicated in the last malan, that he had always treated him as his friend, and if he were not, he would have taken him away as much as he had. At last, the Indian agreed, or seemed to it at least. At once, the land was traveled, not without showing the Indian certain traces. When he was dismissed, he was given 20 more pesos."Tomás Guevara. History of the Civilization of Araucanía (1898).
The fort and#34;Nueva Imperial#34;, was founded on February 26, 1882 by Colonel Gregorio Urrutia.
When the new Department of Imperial was created on March 12, 1887, the New Imperial became its head. The development of the population in the surroundings of the fort was slow. Once the occupation conflicts ended, contingents of European settlers, mainly German, British and Swiss, dedicated themselves to communal urban and agricultural development, where they also founded Methodist religious schools, both for the children of immigrants and for children of Mapuche, Creole and mestizo origin, under projects of complete social integration.
Features
Nueva Imperial is made up of two communities, which is called Imperial and a town called Villa Almagro, in honor of Diego de Almagro, which is located on the other side of the Cautín River. The poet Juvencio Valle, who won the national prize Chilean of literature, he was born in Villa Almagro, and his house is still there. La Araucanía is also a source of inspiration for Pablo Neruda, who was raised in the region. Together, the two communities represent a population of around 40,000 people.
Nueva Imperial is also divided by a large hill. The section of the city that is at the base of the hill is called El Bajo and El Alto. From the top of the hill, you can see the Villarrica, Llaima, and Lonquimay volcanoes as well as the surrounding countryside.
The community has one of the largest Mapuche concentrations in the region.
Tourist attractions
One of the most notable features of the city is its railway bridge, disused but preserved for its cultural heritage. It was designed by the architects Schneider - Creusoty, built in France and assembled in the place where it is currently located, it was inaugurated in 1909.
The most important natural resources are made up of El Río Imperial and Chol-Chol, which cross the commune giving rise to numerous spas. Both are navigable by small boats, allowing trout fishing and other species.
In the urban area of Nueva Imperial, the Cendyr Náutico stands out, a place where canoeing and kayaking athletes from the commune practice.
We can also mention Los Cisnes beach, which in summer is full of locals and visitors who enjoy the calm waters of the Cholchol River.
On the other hand, in the Boroa sector, 13 kilometers from Nueva Imperial, there are vestiges of a Spanish fort from the time of the conquest, still a place that visitors can explore.
In Villa Almagro was the house of the National Literature Award winner Juvencio Valle, a room that was more widely abandoned by the authorities. This house was destroyed by individuals, who acquired the site to build a Supermarket in that place.
The city was popularly known as the watercolor city for the color of its houses.
Mapuche Cultural Wealth
The commune has one of the largest Mapuche concentrations in the area, which demonstrates the human wealth of the sector. Therefore, Nueva Imperial is a good alternative for tourists who want to know the Mapuche culture: language, ways of life, crafts, food. Visit that will allow you to learn about the ancestral customs of this town.
The area is also an attractive panorama for those who do not have much time to explore the region, and wish to discover its natural and cultural attractions, since Imperial is located only 35 kilometers west of Temuco. It communicates with the regional capital through a paved road, which in turn connects it with the coastal area.
The commune has two urban centers: Imperial and Villa Almagro, which are characterized by their incessant rural-urban development, as they become meeting places for commerce, since the high percentage of the rural population continually moves to the cities looking for services.
Festivities
- Last week of February the Imperial Week, an opportunity in which varied activities such as the traditional imperial night take place, an opportunity for boats to parade through the river, culminating in a pyrotechnic show.
- The Mapuche people celebrate the new Mapuche year on June 24, called Wetripantuwhich traditionally implies a new cycle, nature is renewed, rains come to strengthen the ñuke mapu (mother earth), for humans, plants and animals.
- The Mapuche version of the we xipantu (the new arrival of the Sun, or the New Departure of the Sun):
The We Xipantu is the traditional ceremony with which the Mapuche people renew and reaffirm their faith in nature, soaking up the change that occurs at midnight on June 23 with the arrival of the New Year.
According to the Mapuche worldview, the We Xipantu corresponds to the end of the Rimungen (autumn) stage or the time of the fall of the leaves of the trees, which marks the beginning of the seasons or seasons that divide the year. It is the beginning of the reconnection between matter and spirit, in addition to the reaffirmation of the harmonious relationship between man and nature or Ñuke Mapu (Mother Earth), thus maintaining the balance that allows the development and well-being of all living beings. from Wallmapu (Mapuche territory).
From sunrise, with the sounds of kultrun, trutrucas, pifilkas and cadcawillas, prayers from the machi, purrun and choike purrun dances, palin games, mudai, tortillas and pork rinds, the We Xipantu festivities begin.
- Another important date is September 18, which is the day of the first Board of Government of Chile (called "Feastlands").
Economy
In 2018, the number of companies registered in Nueva Imperial was 416. The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) in the same year was -0.12, while the economic activities with the highest Revealed Comparative Advantage index (RCA) were Construction of Recreational and Sports Boats (698.75), Collection and Elimination of Waste (81.78) and Wholesalers of Wines and Alcoholic and Fantasy Beverages (53.87).
Administration
Nueva Imperial integrates Electoral District No. 23 with the communes of Carahue, Saavedra, Cholchol, Teodoro Schmidt, Freire and Pitrufquén and belongs to the 11th Senatorial Circumscription (Araucanía). It is represented in the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress by deputies René Saffirio (Ind), Andrés Molina (Evópoli), Sebastián Álvarez (Evópoli), René Manuel García (RN), Miguel Mellado (RN), Ricardo Celis (PPD) and Fernando Meza (Ind). In turn, it is represented in the Senate by Senators Felipe Kast (Evopolí), Carmen Gloria (Ind.), José García (RN), Francisco Huenchumilla (DC) and Jaime Quintana (PPD).
The Illustrious Municipality of Nueva Imperial is directed by the mayor Manuel Salas Trautmann (PDC), who presides over the Municipal Council and is accompanied in this collegiate body by the councilors for the period 2016-2020:
- Juan Constanzo Matamala (PDC).
- César Sepúlveda Huerta (PDC).
- Paola Aguilera Torres (IND-PDC)
- Ivan Quinchaleo González (RN).
- Miguel Suárez Molina (IND-Evopoli).
- María Luisa Parra Ortiz (PPD).
Public services
With regard to public order and citizen security, the 4th Nueva Imperial Police Station is a police unit of the Carabineros de Chile, dependent on the Cautín Nº 22 Prefecture of the Araucanía Zone.
In public health, the Nueva Imperial Intercultural Hospital is a medium-complexity health center that cares for patients from the commune as well as referrals from neighboring communes from less complex establishments. For interconsultations that require greater complexity, patients are transferred to the Temuco Regional Hospital.
The Nueva Imperial Fire Department was founded on June 14, 1909 and has three companies.
The Municipal Library N° 112 Diego Portales de Nueva Imperial is a public library administered by the Illustrious Municipality of Nueva Imperial and has the communal headquarters of Biblioredes.
Araucanía Coast
Since November 27, 2014, the communes of Carahue, Saavedra, Nueva Imperial, Teodoro Schmidt and Toltén, formed the Asociación de Municipios Costa Araucania (AMCA) with the purpose of working together, increasing public and private investment and promote a common territorial identity.
On October 19, 2016, the Association managed to have the Costa Araucania territory decreed as a "Zona de Rezago" by Supreme Decree No. 1490. The AMCA board of directors is currently made up of: Guillermo Martínez Soto President; Manuel Salas Trautmann Vice-President; Juan Paillafil Calfulen Treasurer;
Alejandro Sáez Veliz Director and Alfredo Riquelme Arriagada Secretary.
Its Executive Secretary is the lawyer Ricardo Herrera Floody.
Amca's headquarters are located at Villagran 212, Carahue.
Media
Radio stations
FM
- 92.5 MHz Popular Radio
- 94.9 MHz Radio Mirador
- 99.9 MHz Radio Empire
- 103.5 MHz The FM Conqueror
- 106.7 MHz Radio Sonata
- 107.3 MHz Radio Nuevo Tiempo
- 107.9 MHz Radio Éxtasis
Sports
Football
Dante Fútbol Club, as recent regional amateur champion, participated in the 2011 Copa Chile.