Rancagua

Rancagua (from Mapudungun: Rangkawe 'place of rancas') is a commune and city in central Chile, capital of the province of Cachapoal and the region of Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins. Due to the great expansion of the city in recent years, it has come to form, together with Machalí and Gultro, the so-called Rancagua Conurbation, which is the eighth most populous urban agglomeration in the country.

Etymology and popular names

Before the Spanish conquest, the Cachapoal river valley was inhabited by the Cachapoal people and it is likely that the name Rancagua is a hispanicization of the Mapudungun word rangka (Lasthenia kunthii ) and we, in Spanish "lugar", meaning "place of rancas". It could also derive from rangkül, a kind of reed or reed and we, "place"; that is, it means "place where there are reeds", or simply "canebrake".^{[citation required]}

Huasos de la Región de O'Higgins.

Over time, Rancagua has received a series of antonymous denominations of popular origin, regarding the cultural characteristics of the city and its surroundings; some of these are:

• "The city of the antennas", a name born of the large number of thread antennas that were installed on the roofs of houses and departments towards the 1970s, and that were seen by the passengers who were circulating on the 5 Pan-American route.
• "The historic city" or "City of Heroes", a name born from the Rancagua Disaster, a battle that changed the History of Chile (due to which the period of the Spanish Reconquest began).
• «The capital of the rodeo» or «The Huasa City» denomination born of the fact that Rancagua is the headquarters of the National Rodeo Championship, which takes place annually at the Monumental Medialuna of Rancagua. and from the hoaso imaginary that for decades is attributed to the current O'Higgins Region.
• «The heavenly city or the Capo de Provincia», name that is made to the O'Higgins Sports Club, and to the large number of fans in this city.

History

First inhabitants

Vestigios del Pucará de La Compañía en el Valle de Rancagua.

The Picunches or Promaucaes were the first known inhabitants of the Rancagua Valley. The Promaucaes built a pucará on Cerro La Compañía and a rope and wicker suspension bridge over the Cachapoal River, which It facilitated the Inca expeditions to the south of their empire, who used and fortified the pucará. The Incas later built the pucará on La Muralla hill, the southernmost found to date. The Inca presence did not mean the loss of local authority, nor of their lands to the Picunche caciques.

During the conquest in 1610 the indigenous town of Rancagua was already administered by the Spanish lieutenant Francisco Gutierrez de Caviedes de La Torre who had arrived in Chile in approximately 1605 to settle in the original Ranch of the Spanish Captain Alonso de Córdoba and bought it lands in 1617.^{[citation needed]}

This is how the Rancagua redoubt was preserved by the ancestors of chief Tomás Guaglén, the last of the Picunches, who exercised dominance until, of his own free will, he ceded territories for the foundation of the future city of Rancagua, in addition of the donation of twenty blocks from Estancia El Carmen by Don Gabriel de Soto y Córdova, who inherited it from his nephew Francisco de Soto, later called Fundo El Puente, whose manor house exists to this day.

Foundation and early years

Monument to José Antonio Manso de Velasco in Rancagua.

The foundation was made on October 5, 1743 under the name Villa Santa Cruz de Triana and was in charge of the President of the Court and Governor of the Kingdom of Chile, José Antonio Manso de Velasco, being approved by Royal Decree of July 29, 1749.

As he had done in the planning of various colonial cities, Manso de Velasco projected the city according to the orthogonal plan (also called checkerboard), widely used in Spain, which consists of a similar plane to a chess board; 8 blocks by 8 blocks. Each block was divided into 4 parts, called lots. The town was surrounded on its four sides by ditches (in the so-called cañadillas). The planting of some trees stood out, especially poplars, which years later gave rise to the Alameda.

From those years on, the village began to organize itself. The Protector of the Villa, Martín Gregorio de Jáuregui, distributed the demarcated blocks and lots, for the various functions of the time. Among those appointments, he donated 2 blocks (8 lots) to the order of the Franciscans. Said land currently constitutes the two blocks bounded by Estado, Almarza, Millán and Ibieta streets. In the year 1807, the Franciscan priests built their temple, the San Francisco Church, on the current southeast corner of Estado and Ibieta streets.

Battle of Rancagua

Detail of the painting The Battle of Rancagua by José Tomás Vandorse.

The city of Rancagua witnessed the battle that marks the end of the first republican projects for the Independence of Chile. The event occurred on October 1 and 2, 1814. Brigadier Bernardo O'Higgins, under the command of José Miguel Carrera, locked himself in the city square to stop the royalist troops of Mariano Osorio, managing to resist for two days, until they were able to break the encirclement and flee. During the heat of the battle, O'Higgins says again the phrase that he had coined months before in the battle of El Roble: "Either live with honor or die with glory", to the troops.

The defeat of the patriots in this battle produced the end of the Old Homeland, the flight of the emancipating leaders to Argentina and the beginning of the historical period of the so-called Reconquista.

The heroic defeat suffered by the patriotic forces in the Plaza de Rancagua, caused the almost total destruction of the city and the persecution of those who fought in the resistance against the royalist authorities. To honor and perpetuate the memory of these events, the Supreme Director, Bernardo O'Higgins, conferred the title of "very loyal and national" city on May 27, 1818. The same Decree established the City Coat of Arms with the motto "Rancagua is reborn from its ashes because its patriotism immortalized it."

19th century

José Victorino Lastarria.

The election of the Cabildo in 1825 was marked by the confrontation between O'Higginistas and Freiristas. September 1828. Later a Legal Adviser was appointed to resolve the conflicts that occurred in the nascent city. Around 1831 the construction of the boulevard began in the north glen, which was inaugurated with a great party in 1834.

Administratively, Rancagua was the head of the Department of Rancagua, belonging to the Province of Santiago. In 1840 the Higher Education College was created, which would serve as a continuation for young graduates of the existing municipal school. In 1842 a great intellectual movement arose in Chile, the Literary Society of 1842, whose main protagonist was José Victorino Lastraria. A law passed on October 25, 1854 ordered the installation of a Court of First Instances in the Department of Rancagua.

In 1883, the Province of O'Higgins was created, from the eastern sector of the former Department of Rancagua, from which 10 sub-delegations corresponding to the western sector of the Department were segregated, which became part of the Department of Melipilla. The Province of O'Higgins is made up of 3 departments: Rancagua, Maipo and Cachapoal, being its capital Rancagua, which takes on a new importance.

The city's first newspapers arose, such as El Porvenir (1871), El Fénix (1872), El Lautaro, El Heraldo, El Crepúsculo, El Patriota and El Progreso y La Voz del Pueblo. El Lautaro would be the voice of the Balmacedistas in the Revolution of 1891, and after the defeat of President Balmaceda the newspaper was discontinued and its printing presses looted. In 1892, Dr. Eduardo De Geyter arrived in Rancagua, who would be appointed as the city's doctor. His important work extended until 1925, the year of his death.

Francisco Astaburoaga in 1899 in his Geographical Dictionary of the Republic of Chile wrote about the place:

Rancagua.-—City with 5,757 inhabitants, and capital of the department of its name and of the province of O'Higgins. It is located in the middle of fertile and very productive fields, under 34o 12' Lat. and 70° 45' Lon. 82 kilometers to the S. of Santiago and two from the north bank of the Cachapual where it has an excellent bridge. Its seat, which rises 513 meters above the Pacific, is flat and clear and is shared in apples of 116 meters per side leaving streets of regular width, cut in straight angles, eight from N. to S. and many others from E. to O. most of them paved and pairs. At the intersection of two of the central streets, a small square is opened and at the front of it are the building of the governorate and public offices and the departmental prison. It has three churches, the parish church, the church of San Francisco and Merced, of simple appearance as is generally the landlord, a lice of higher education, free schools for one and another, court of letters, a good hospital, cemetery, civil registration offices, post offices and telegraphs, two or three inns and an alameda or walk to the north. To the west side of the population has a station the railway of the capital of the Republic to the south. Its contours are well cultivated and its mild and very healthy climate. It was founded in 1743 by President Manso and Velasco with the title villa of Santa Cruz de Triana, of the name of a neighborhood of Seville, settling on the ground that for the purpose donated the cacique of that district, Tomás Guaglen or Guageluen, and having founded it he realized that on October 30, 1744, which approved the royal cédula of July 29, 1749. At two years of her erection she had 40 houses and some rags for the grinding of the gold minerals of the mines discovered in the neighboring mountains of Alhué which, during their greatest boom, contributed greatly to their advance. On October 1 and 2nd, 1814 the glorious theatre of the heroic resistance to the Spanish invaders was made, being almost demolished and abandoned; so in honor and memory of that fact, to the restoration of Independence, he was granted the title of May 27, 1818. city with the dictation of very loyal and national. By law of December 10, 1883 he took the capital character of his province.

20th century

Bridge over the Cachapoal River, which connected Rancagua with the Pan-American Route south at the beginning of the centuryXX..

Salvador Allende in his speech for the nationalization of copper in the Plaza de Los Heroes de la ciudad (1971).

The advances that began at the beginning of the 20th century allowed a greater urban development of Rancagua. In 1903, the implementation of a tram system along Estado and Independencia streets was authorized, a project that would be completed in 1919 with the installation of electric trams. In 1912 the Monument to O'Higgins was installed. from the Plaza de Los Héroes, replacing the pylons that existed in the same place.

On January 2, 1922, the III Congress of the Socialist Workers Party was held in the city, at which time it was refounded under the name of the Communist Party of Chile. On October 18, 1925, the Diocese of Santa Cruz de Rancagua was created by Pope Pius XI through the Bull Apostolici Muneris Ratio. On April 25 of that same year, the Rancagua Chamber of Commerce was formed.

The geographer Luis Risopatrón described Rancagua in his book Diccionario Jeográfico de Chile in 1924:

Rancagua (City) 34° 10' 70° 45'. It is formed by a sesentena of apples, of 116 m by side, cut in a straight angle by streets of regular width and grouped around a square formed in the intersection of two of the main streets; it is settled in a flat terrain i clear, in the middle of feraces i mui productive, in the band N of the Cachapoal river. It has railway station, in the W i S part of the city, at 499 m altitude and inaugurated in the year of 1859. It was founded in 1743 with the title of villa Santa Cruz de TrianaIn the name of a neighborhood of Seville I was built in it some rags, for the grinding of the gold minerals of Alhué, which contributed much to its progress; it was the glorious theater of resistance to the Spanish, on 1 and 2 October 1814, in which it was almost demolished and abandoned, so restored the Independence, the title of the city was given to him on 27 May 1818. The annual population increase in the period 1895-1907 has been 3.76 per cent, with a proportion of alphabets in the latter date of 48.9%. It has been noted in 11 years of observations 34,5° C i -9,5 ° C as maximum and minimum temperatures i as annual averages 14° C for temperature, 13.9° C for daily oscillation, 74 % for relative humidity, 4.3 for nebulosity (0-10) i 378,5 mm for the fallen water, with a maximum of 768,3 mm for daily rain.

In 1956, it was established that Chile would be the host country for the 1962 Soccer World Cup. After the 1960 earthquake that devastated all the cities south of Talca, the host cities for the World Cup were reassessed, discarding Talca, Concepción, Talcahuano and Osorno, while Antofagasta and Valparaíso give up being venues because their stadiums could not be self-financing. However, the Braden Copper Company, owner of the El Teniente mine, allows the use of the El Teniente Stadium, which at that time had a capacity for 8,234 spectators. Finally, Rancagua hosted group D in the world tournament, made up of Hungary, England, Argentina and Bulgaria. The matches in the city were held between May 30 and June 10, 1962, where West Germany and Yugoslavia met in the quarterfinals.

On July 11, 1971, President Salvador Allende gave his speech for the nationalization of copper in the city's Plaza de Los Héroes, before the workers of El Teniente. With this process, the mine became completely state-owned, being since 1976 property of the National Copper Corporation of Chile (CODELCO). In 1971, Operation Valle began, where the inhabitants of the Sewell mining camp were transferred to Rancagua, generating a significant increase in the population.

In 1981, Independencia street was pedestrianised, between San Martín and Bueras. In the 1990s, the section between Bueras and Plaza de Los Héroes would continue. In 1990, the Punta del Sol Shopping Center was inaugurated in the far north of the city, the first shopping center built outside of Santiago.

21st century

In the first years of the new century, Rancagua underwent the remodeling of several of its main arteries, as well as some areas of its historic center, such as the Plaza de los Héroes, which was completely renovated during the period of Mayor Pedro Hernández Garrido, and the pedestrianization of the southern section of Estado Street (between the Plaza de los Héroes and the San Francisco Church, at the intersection with Avenida Millán), which was completed in 2006. That same year The Davis Cup was played at the Medialuna Monumental in the city.

In 2013 the Regional Theater of Rancagua was inaugurated and in 2015 the University of O'Higgins was created, with its headquarters in the city, which began operating two years later.

Geography

Geomorphology

The Rancagua Basin presents the appropriate conditions for irrigation agriculture.

The city of Rancagua is located in the basin of the same name, which extends from the Angostura de Paine to the Angostura de Pelequén, and is part of the Intermediate Depression. The main characteristic of this basin is that it is It is sandwiched between the Andes Mountains and the Coastal Mountains.

The Andes Mountain Range reaches its highest altitude in this basin, between Aconcagua and Pico del Barroso, where the peaks exceed 5,500 m a.s.l. no. m..

This basin has a tectonic origin and is composed of fluvial-glacial-volcanic sediments. It is 60 km long on its north-south axis and 30 km east-west. It has an average altitude of 400 m s. no. m..

Natural limits of the commune

The commune limits to the north with the La Cadena estuary, which separates it from the Graneros commune, to the south with the Cachapoal river that separates it from the Olivar commune, to the east with the Machalí estuary that separates it from said commune and to the west with the hill of Bandera and the Cordon de los Cerros de Lo Miranda that separates it from the commune of Doñihue.

Climate

The climate observed in Rancagua is temperate with a long dry season, that is, a Mediterranean climate. Therefore, the seasons of the year are clearly marked, with generally extremely hot and dry summers and rainy, mild and humid winters. In cold years, light snowfalls are not uncommon. Although there is rainfall throughout the year, the months where the rains are concentrated are in May, June, July and August. In Rancagua, they fall on average between 505 and 538 mm per year.

Rancagua average climate parameters
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	39	35.7	36	32.3	31	26	28	29	32	33.3	34.7	38	39
Average temperature (°C)	30	30	27	23	18	15	15	16	18	22	26	28	22.3
Average temperature (°C)	21	20.5	18.5	15	11.5	9	8.5	10	11.5	14.5	17.5	19.5	14.7
Temp. medium (°C)	12	11	10	7	5	3	2	4	5	7	9	11	7.3
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	5.4	5	3.5	-1.8	-5.9	-6.2	-4.9	-6.2	-2.3	-3	1.6	3.3	-6.2
Rains (mm)	0	4	11	22	70	125	144	92	27	10	6	0	505
Days of rain (≥ 1 mm)	0	1	1	2	4	6	6	5	3	2	1	0	31
Source: MSN http://es.climate-data.org/location/2053/ 2008

Hydrography

Cachapoal River, from the Orocoipo hill. To the bottom is the city of Rancagua.

The location of the Cachapoal River was predominant in the settlement of the Picunches in the Rancagua Valley. The Cachapoal is a northern tributary of the Rapel River. It has a hole with an area of 6,370 km². It has a rainy-snow regime, has its source in the Andes Mountains in the sector of the Overo Volcano, Pico del Barroso and Nevado de los Piuquenes. The Cachapoal is the depository, in the Andean sector, of the waters of the Las Leñas, Cortaderal, Los Cipreses, Coya and Pangal rivers (which gives rise to the "Pangal" hydroelectric plant that supplies electricity to the El Teniente mine), in the valley, receives the waters of the Claro de Rengo River, its main tributary, on its left bank.

Without a doubt, the presence of the Cachapoal in the Rancagua Basin favors the existence of a favorable climate for agriculture. In the middle course of the river is the city of Rancagua (on the north bank); on the south side is the town of Gultro, (Olivar commune).

Biogeography

It is inserted in a sub-humid zone with a predominance of mesophyte vegetation. The most abundant vegetation in the area consists of thorns, Chilean palms, boldos, liters and quillayes, many of which are used for charcoal or for domestic use in fireplaces.

Demographics

Much of the population of the surrounding communes to Rancagua must travel to this city for reasons of work or study.

The commune of Rancagua, according to the 2017 census data, reflected a population of 241,774 inhabitants, 27,400 more inhabitants than in the 2002 census. According to the census, in Rancagua the distribution of the population by sex is 123,832 Women and 117,942 men.

Rancagua's demographic evolution figure between 1907 and 2017

Source: INE

Administration

O'Higgins Regional Government Headquarters, located opposite the Plaza de Los Heroes.

Rancagua is one of the thirteen communes that make up district No. 15, in force since the LV legislative period of the National Congress of Chile (2018-2022), being represented by 5 deputies. In addition, it belongs to the VIII constituency senatorial, which since 2022 is represented through three seats in the Senate.

In Congress, the commune is represented by senators Alejandra Sepúlveda (FRVS), Javier Macaya (UDI) and Juan Luis Castro (PS). In turn, it is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Raúl Soto (PPD), Diego Schalper (RN), Marcela Riquelme (IND-CS), Natalia Romero (IND-UDI) and Marta González (IND-PPD).

In the Constitutional Convention for the drafting of the new Political Constitution of the Republic, the commune was represented by the conventional constituents Alvin Saldaña Muñoz (MSA), Carol Bown Sepúlveda (UDI), Matías Orellana Cuéllar (PS), Loreto Vallejos Dávila (LDP) and Damaris Abarca González (IND-CS).

It is the only commune in the Cachapoal I district of the O'Higgins Regional Council. It is currently represented by the regional councilors Pedro Hernández (UDI), Paula Muñoz (PDG), Germán Arenas (RD), Lennin Arroyo (IND-RN) and Mauricio Valderrama (PS).

The administration of the municipality of Rancagua corresponds to the Illustrious Municipality of Rancagua, which has been directed since June 28, 2021 by Mayor Juan Ramón Godoy, who is advised by the Municipal Council, made up of:

• Viviana Morales Sandoval (PCCh)
• María del Carmen Orueta Val (RN)
• Hugo Guzmán Millán (RD)
• Carlos Arellano Baeza (PDC)
• Valentina Cáceres Monsalvez (PEV)
• Emerson Avedaño Llanca (Ind-PEV)
• Patricio Henríquez Henríquez (PS)
• Manuel Villagra Astorga (PPD)
• Jacqueline Vidal Delaigue (UDI)
• Cristián Toledo Ponce (PR)

Economy

Mine The Lieutenant, the world's largest underground copper mine.

Primary sector

In the field of agriculture, it is the center where most of the region's agricultural products are gathered before being exported via the ports of San Antonio or Valparaíso.

In the Cachapoal valley, the great climatic contrasts between the foothills of the Andes and the warmer plains of the central valley favor the production of fortified red wines. The vines occupy about 80% of the planted area. The largest amount of hectares corresponds to Cabernet Sauvignon, followed by Merlot and Carménère. In whites, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

50 minutes from the city and in the Andes Mountains is the El Teniente copper mine, currently operated by Codelco Chile. This deposit constitutes an important source of employment for the inhabitants of the Rancagua conurbation. The Braden Copper Company, the former company that owned this deposit, was fundamental in the development of the city until the 1960s, both in material and cultural aspects. There is also small-scale mining activity in the Chancón mining district, in the northwest of the Rancagua commune.

Paseo Independencia, one of Rancagua's main commercial axis.

Secondary and tertiary sectors

Rancagua has developed since the end of the XX century of a varied trade activity. The points of greatest commercial activity are the axis formed by Paseo Independencia and Calle Brasil, and in recent years the Eduardo Frei Montalva Highway, also called the Copper Highway for reaching the copper deposits of the El Teniente mine. This important thoroughfare of the city has developed an incredible commercial boom since the end of the 1990s, where a series of shopping centers, hypermarkets, commercial premises, services and medical institutions have been built, which has considerably increased the surplus value of the sector. east of the city.

This city doesn't stand out much for being an industrial city, except in the food field. There are some industrial parks, which border the old Pan-American Route 5, and in the north of the city, but they are not so important at the national level.

Transportation

Urban transportation

Collectives at Rancagua's "Rodoviario".

The major transportation of the city is made up of buses commonly called micros. The largest transport park is made up mostly of medium-capacity light minibuses. Since the implementation of the Trans O'Higgins transportation plan, a division was made to the types of transportation: the red micros that are urban routes and the green ones that are of the country type. The latter are the pillar of transportation with the communes that make up the Rancagua Conurbation.

Minor transportation is made up of collective taxi lines, which are divided into inter-communal and purely urban. There is currently a vehicle restriction on collectives, which form an important part of the city's automotive fleet.

El Rodoviario is the terminal where locomotion to the communes surrounding the city is concentrated, both in major and minor transportation.

Public means of transportation

The main terminal in the city is the Terminal O'Higgins, located at the intersection of Av. Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins (also known as Alameda) and Ruta 5 south.

Interprovincial bus companies operate from this terminal with destinations to other Chilean cities such as Valparaíso, Viña Del Mar, Santiago, San Fernando, Curicó, Talca, Chillán, Concepción, and Osorno; and also the Roadway Terminal located in Dr. Salinas, with rural routes such as Doñihue, Coltauco, San Vicente, Peumo, Las Cabras and Pichilemu; They also have destinations in the Metropolitan Region, such as San Pedro de Melipilla and Alhué, and in the Fifth Region, such as Cartagena and San Antonio.

Main arteries and accesses of Rancagua

Rancagua Railway Station.

Railroads

The state railway through the Rancagua Station has become an important transportation alternative in the city and surrounding communes that gains greater importance thanks to the Rancagua-Central Station Train service of the EFE Central company, an EFE affiliate. The Train is one of the preferred methods of Rancagüinos to move to other communes in the region and to the national capital. This last trip takes about an hour and a quarter.

Air transportation

There is the "La Independencia" Military Aerodrome, belonging to the Aviation Brigade of the Chilean Army, where the Rancagua Air Club is based, an institution that, among other tasks, carries out popular flights where tourists meet they can board their planes and get to know the municipalities of Machalí, Graneros and Rancagua from the air. There is also non-scheduled helicopter air service from Discovery Air S.A. and ALFA Helicopters through the Discovery Air S.A. heliport. located east of the city.

Services

Health

The Regional Hospital is the base of public medical care in the region, which is complemented by 6 SAPU (Primary Emergency Care Service) clinics, as well as a laboratory belonging to the Municipality of Rancagua and a municipal veterinary clinic. In the private sphere we can find other hospitals, such as the Hospital del Trabajador (Chilean Security Association), the Mutual Security Hospital and the FUSAT Clinical Hospital (Health Foundation of El Teniente), owned by CODELCO. We can also find private clinics, such as Isamédica, and the Integral Health Clinic. By 2002 in Rancagua there were 2.6 hospital beds for every 1,000 inhabitants.

In the area of public health we can go to Clinic 1 "Enrique Dintrans", located at Baquedano 626; Consultorio 2 "Eduardo De Geyter", located at Almarza 1061; Consultorio 3 "Abel Zapata", located at Bombero Villalobos 556; Office 4 "Maria Latife Saadi", located at Av. Nelson Pereira 2411; SAR No. 4 "Maria Latife Saadi" located in the Republic of Chile with Recreation; Office 5 "Juan Chiorrini", located in Los Talaveras N°444 Pobl. Rene Schneider; and Office 6 "Ignacio Caroca", located at Avenida Constanza 1790 Pobl. Vicuna Mackenna. All are managed by CORMUN, Municipal Corporation of Transferred Public Services of Rancagua.

Education

Basic and Intermediate

Liceo Óscar Castro before his reconstruction.

There is a varied educational offer in the city, and aimed at different interests, both in the scientific-humanist area, and in the technical area. In specific data, in 2002 there was 96% coverage in basic education and 83% in secondary education.

There are schools and high schools that are under the supervision and operation of the Municipality of Rancagua (Corporación Municipal de Servicios Públicos Transpasados de Rancagua, CORMUN), which are called “municipal” or “public”. Some of the most prominent of this type are the Liceo Óscar Castro (formerly Liceo de Hombres) and the Colegio Moisés Mussa (formerly Superior for Men No. 1), considered the oldest college in the country (founded in 1791).

O'Higgins Institute.

The María Luisa Bombal High School, the José Victorino Lastarria High School and the Diego Portales Commercial High School are also important. Also noteworthy are the Industrial High Schools that are under the tutelage of corporations outside the Municipality; the Ernesto Pinto Lagarrigue High School (ex B-5) under the Chilean Chamber of Construction and the Pdte High School. Pedro Aguirre Cerda under the administration of the USACH.

In the category of paid private schools, which are maintained only with the contribution of parents, there are both denominational schools (mainly Catholic teaching), such as the O'Higgins Institute, founded in 1915 by the Marists, and secular schools such as the Coya School (between Rancagua and Machalí), the English Institute, among others. Other privately run schools, known as subsidized individuals, are the Don Bosco School, Javiera Carrera School, the Regional Institute of Education (I.R.E.), among others.

Top

Frontis de la Universidad de O'Higgins.

Rancagua has the University of O'Higgins, whose headquarters is located in said city, created by law in 2015, and which begins its classes in 2017.

In addition to this university, you can find branches of public universities (Los Lagos University, Arturo Prat University, Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences, Federico Santa María Technical University and the University of Valparaíso) and private (Aconcagua University, La República University and Santo Tomás University). Rancagua also has a wide range of professional institutes and technical training centers such as INACAP, the AIEP Professional Institute, the Professional Institute of Chile and the Guillermo Subercaseaux Institute of Banking Studies.

In the past, local universities such as Leonardo da Vinci, Educares and Rancagua also functioned in Rancagua –the latter gave way to the current University of Aconcagua–.

Public Libraries

We can find two libraries open to the community in the city, the Santiago Benadava Public Library (nº251) and the Eduardo De Geyter Public Library (nº34). The rate of books per inhabitant in public libraries was 0.7 in 2001. There are also two "biblio-wagons" Logroño, located in the Vicuña Mackenna Population, and Estación del Saber, located in the Eduardo Martínez Moreno square.

Media

Although Rancagua is not a nerve center in telecommunication matters at the national level, it has various local and regional media outlets.

Written press and internet

• Journal The Rancagüinowhich works since 1915 (formerly called Week). The Rancagüino is a member of the National Press Association and the Inter-American Press Association.
• Journal The Tipograph free circulation a few days of the week.
• Ene-Datosthe latter aimed at the publication of commercial notices and distribution in the VI and VII Regions.

In the search for new forms of information, different groups have proposed and specified some alternatives for local news, taking advantage of Internet tools, such as the La Visión Digital Newspaper, Zona de Escape TV, El Rancahuaso, El Incendio, El Cachapoal and VI Region,.

Radio stations

There are several local radio stations that broadcast from this city; the most important are: Radio Rancagua in AM and FM signals, which is the oldest operating radio station in the country after the end of Radio Chilena, and Radio Bienvenida, the only station network in the region.

In the city of Rancagua, a total of 31 stations broadcast in the modulated frequency band and 3 stations in the modulated amplitude band.

FM

AM

Television

In the beginning, television and radio signals came to Rancagua directly from Santiago or some repeaters from San Fernando. To receive them, the Rancagüinos mounted in their houses two thread antennas; the number of these became such that quickly -in the seventies- Rancagua became known as The City of Antennas.^{[citation required]} This, until 1988, when the repeater of Televisión Nacional de Chile was installed in the city and from 1990 onwards, of the other channels, which made said antennas unnecessary.^{[citation required]} The repeaters of the Santiago channels are located on Cerro Orocoipo and Cerro 866, near Graneros.

There are also 2 television channels that are broadcast from the capital of the VI Region: the open signal station Centrovisión and the cable television channel Sextavisión, in addition to the local repeater of Televisión Nacional de Chile, called Red O&# 39;Higgins, which interrupts the national signal to broadcast a regional newscast at night.

TV CHANNELS

• 4 Mega
• 6 The Network
• 8 Canal 13
• 10 Chilevisión
• 12 TVN

HD CHANNELS

• 4.1 Mega HD
• 4.2 Mega 2
• 6.1 The HD Network
• 8.1 Channel 13 HD
• 10.1 Chilevision HD
• 10.2 UChile TV
• 12.1 TVN HD
• 12.2 NTV

Culture

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Culture

Gastronomy

The agricultural activities of Rancagua, such as the cultivation of corn, tomatoes, wheat, vegetables, among others, have allowed easy access for the population to the foods that are the basis of the national gastronomy, especially due to the existence of free fairs in different parts of the city. The typical dishes that abound in this area are corn cake, humitas, empanadas, beans, potato cake, carbonada and roast.

In the city some places stand out in terms of their gastronomic offer. The Café Reina Victoria is a true tradition of local gastronomy with a wide range of pastries and Chilean fast food (completos, churrascos, chaparritas, etc.), El Viejo Rancagua, on the Paseo del Estado, is a place where the bohemian atmosphere of the city meets and stands out for its chorrillanas. In the central Rubio street is the restaurant La picá de la Tía Julia, a place where you can find Rancagua steaks and chili sauce as a side dish. Leaving Rancagua to the south along Route 5, there are several traditional food outlets on the service streets of the Autopista del Maipo Highway, such as the Mini Restaurant (Gultro, Olivar), formerly called Mini Sheraton, and the restaurant Juan y Medio (Rosario, Rengo).

Celebrations

Every October 2nd, the Battle of Rancagua is commemorated with a parade at the El Teniente Stadium in Rancagua. This parade is attended by the Chilean Armed Forces and Carabineros, the main institutions of the city, schools and high schools. It was precisely within the framework of this commemoration when the then President of France, Charles De Gaulle, visited the city of Rancagua, and witnessed, together with the Chilean President of the time, Jorge Alessandri, the parade on October 2, 1964 (sesquincenario of the Battle of Rancagua).

Throughout the month of October, the “Fiestas Rancagüinas” are also held, where the anniversary of the city is celebrated. Throughout these weeks, various artistic, cultural, and recreational activities are carried out, which culminate in a great show with guest artists and the launch of fireworks.

Since 2002, a customary fair called "Fiesta Huasa" has been held in the Plaza de los Héroes during the development of the National Rodeo Championship (at the beginning of April). In it, folkloric shows and gastronomic exhibitions with products from the VI region are held. For the 2007 version of the "Fiesta Huasa", held in conjunction with the Chilean Rodeo Federation, the largest chupalla in the world was made, and was exhibited at the fair as the main attraction.

Since 2008, the Rancagua International Jazz Festival has also been held, with the support of the United States Embassy, Codelco Chile, and the Los Andes Compensation Fund, highlighting in its first version the presentation by the American group Western Jazz Quartet from Michigan.

Anthem

The lyrics to the city's anthem were written by prominent Chilean poet Óscar Castro Zúñiga. The music was composed by Fernando Morales, and the musical arrangements were entrusted to Antonio Muñoz. It was first performed by the city's Braden Choir. The song evokes the Battle of Rancagua, which occurred on October 1 and 2, 1814, and which is one of the most important events that has taken place in the city.

Monuments

Monument to Bernardo O'Higgins.

Sculptures

Rancagua has several statues and sculptures in its squares and streets, but many of them are in poor condition and lack maintenance. Among these monuments, we can find:

• Equestrian monument to Bernardo O'Higgins in the Heroes Square.
• Statue to José Manso de Velasco at the Heroes Square on the side of the City Hall.
• Arturo Prat's bust in the Marina Square opposite the railway station.
• Bust of Ignacio Carrera Pinto in the Plaza de la Concepción.
• Looking for characters from the History of Chile in the colloquially known Paseo de los Presidentes de la Alameda: José Miguel Carrera, Germán Riesco, Pedro Aguirre Cerda, José Manuel Balmaceda and Ramón Freire (of these two remain only pedestals).
• Monument to President Salvador Allende on the Alameda side.
• Sculpture Coupling in the Alameda, donated by the auto dealership Coseche.
• Sculpture Towards Tomorrow of Hernán Puebla. It has a rocket shape and is located on the Paseo de los Niños de la Alameda.
• Conjugal love, of the famous frog sculptor Samuel Román.

Murals

• The Rancagua Site, work by the artists Voluspa Jarpa and Natalia Babarovic at the Railway Station.
• Remember when of Guillermo Valdivia, at the low level of the Alameda with the Road. Shows several moments and characters from Rancagua History,

Sports

Sports activities

El Lt. Stadium in April 2014.

Sports activity in the city is varied. Soccer sports clubs and tennis clubs have a large number of members.

The most famous soccer club in the city is O'Higgins, which currently plays in the first category of Chilean soccer, the National Championship. Club Deportivo O'Higgins had great past glories, when with the help of the mineral El Teniente it became in the 1970s and 1980s one of the teams with the most attendance at stadiums in national football, even participating in the Copa Libertadores de América on several occasions, his best performance being a semifinal, as well as being champion and super champion of Chilean soccer.

Since 2012, the Tomás Greig club joined the national competition, currently playing in the Third Division B of Chile. In addition, Club Deportivo Rancagua Sur, founded more than 57 years ago, currently competes in the Third Division A of Chile.

Other clubs that have previously participated in the National Soccer Championships in Chile have been Coinca, Cultural Orocoipo, Rancagua Oriente and Enfoque de Rancagua.

Equipment	Sport	Competition	Stadium	Creation
Sports Rancagua	Football	Third Division B of Chile	Estadio Municipal Patricio Mekis	7 November 2015
O'Higgins	Football	National Championship	Stadium Lieutenant	7 April 1955
C.D. South Rancagua	Football	Third Division A of Chile	Municipal Stadium of Lourdes	26 January 1961
Tomás Greig F.C.	Football	Association of Origin	Estadio Guillermo Saavedra	20 June 2004

Sports infrastructure

The main coliseum in the city is the El Teniente Stadium, owned by CODELCO División El Teniente, and headquarters of Club O'Higgins. The El Teniente Stadium has a capacity for around 14,000 people.

This complex witnessed the 1962 Soccer World Cup, organized by Chile. On this occasion, Rancagua was the host city, thanks to the help of the Braden Copper Company, together with the cities of Viña del Mar, Arica and Santiago. In the El Teniente Stadium, all the matches of Group D (consisting of England, Argentina, Bulgaria and Hungary) and one match of the quarterfinals (Yugoslavia v/s Federal Germany) were played.

Rancagua Monumental Medialuna.

Very important for local sports is the Monumental Medialuna, where the biggest Chilean rodeo event takes place every year, the “Champion de Chile”. After its remodeling, the Medialuna has witnessed important tennis events, such as the farewell of national tennis player Marcelo "Chino" Ríos before the player Goran Ivanišević on December 15, 2004, or the match between Chile and Slovakia for the Davis Cup on February 10, 11 and 12, 2006.

Other sports complexes in the city are the Club Ansco (CODELCO), the Patricio Mekis complex (joined to the Medialuna Monumental), the Gimnasio Hermógenes Lizana, the Regional Training Center (CER), the Marista Stadium (on the border with Machalí), the Autódromo Internacional de Codegua on the border with Codegua and the San Damián Sports Complex.

Places of interest

Rancagua Cathedral
Located in the Plaza de Los Heroes de Rancagua.

Rancagua Regional Museum
Colonial-style building, which is the Historic Monument of Chile.

Heroes Square

Despite not being a tourist city, Rancagua has several attractions, mostly delegated for being the historic city of Chilean independence. The Plaza de Armas, called Plaza de los Héroes, was the scene where Bernardo O'Higgins and his men held the siege in the Battle of Rancagua. The square stands out because its streets cross it through the center, giving shape to a cross, a shape that it shares with the Plaza de Armas of Combarbalá and Vallenar, it is surrounded by important buildings such as the Cathedral, the Intendancy of the Region of O';Higgins, the Provincial Government of Cachapoal, among others.

One block to the north is the Iglesia de la Merced, whose construction dates back to the 18th century and is known for its important historical role in the Battle of Rancagua, the place where the father of the country, Don Bernardo O&# 39;Higgins, was watching from the tower waiting in vain for the help of José Miguel Carrera. Next to the church is the parish house.

State Street

To the south of the square is Calle del Rey (now Paseo del Estado), a street that in the founding era was the center of urban activity, and in where important colonial houses are located.

The Regional Museum of Rancagua is located in the historic center of the city. The two houses that make up the museum date from the 18th century and are the only remains from the time when Villa Santa was founded Cross of Triana, current Rancagua. Its structure around patios, with wide corridors, tile roofs and thick adobe walls, make them an example of traditional Chilean architecture. The museum has a permanent collection and various exhibits that are renewed periodically.

Both houses, which each occupied a plot of land, are part of a Typical Zone of the city of Rancagua along with the Plazuela Marcelino Champagnat (formerly called Plazuela Santa Cruz de Triana, in honor of the founding name of the city), which is located in front of the O'Higgins Institute. It is because of its historical importance that the houses of the Regional Museum were declared a National Monument in 1980.

One block further south, arriving at Calle Millán, is the Church of San Francisco. In the next block is the Casa de la Cultura, an old construction that was part of the Patron Houses of Fundo El Puente, a daughter of the Hacienda El Carmen and that in the Battle of Rancagua served as headquarters for the Staff of the royalist colonel Mariano Osorio. The house is a National Monument. It is currently a venue where artistic works are exhibited.

Surroundings

Tourism also develops in the neighboring communes of Rancagua. Going up towards the Cordillera, in the Machalí commune are the Cauquenes Hot Springs, known for the properties that their waters have, they were even visited by José de San Martín and Bernardo O'Higgins, important heroes of the Independence of Latin America. To access these hot springs, you must take the Acid Route. Also by this same route it is possible to reach the Río de Los Cipreses National Reserve, administered by CONAF.

The Cachapoal and Tinguiririca rivers are the ones that feed the largest artificial lake in the country, Rapel Lake. It was initially created as a reservoir for the Rapel Hydroelectric Power Plant, but over the years, various tourist resorts and summer houses have been occupying its banks, up to the present day.

Germán Riesco.

Lucho Gatica.

Garnish

Rama	Prosecution
Chilean Army	Chilean Army Aviation Brigade

Persons born in Rancagua

• Juan Nicolás Rubio, entrepreneur and politician.
• Germán Riesco Errázuriz, president of Chile between 1901 and 1906.
• José Victorino Lastarria, politician and revolutionary.
• Oscar Castro Zúñiga, poet, writer and teacher.
• Samuel Román Rojas, sculptor.
• Lucho Gatica, singer of internationally renowned bowlers.
• Alberto Cienfuegos, former director of Carabineros de Chile.
• Mario Antonio Núñez, a former footballer.
• Clarence Acuña, a former national footballer and selected at the 1998 World Cup.
• Mario Fernández Baeza, politician, former Minister of State.
• Ivan Arenas, TV presenter.
• Víctor Pérez Vera, civil engineer, rector of the University of Chile between 2006 and 2014.
• Santiago Benadava, lawyer and diplomat.

Sister cities

The city of Rancagua has carried out various twinning agreements with other cities in the world, as well as has signed various economic and cultural cooperation agreements. Some of the cities with which Rancagua maintains relations of this type are:

Since 2002, Rancagua has also been part of the Mercociudades, the Mercosur network of municipalities.