Constitucion

Constitucion sits at the mouth of the Maule, and its beach at Piedra de la Iglesia carries a group of sandstone stacks worn into arches and pillars by the sea - the best known being the Piedra de la Iglesia itself, which has a natural opening through it. In February 2010 the earthquake and the tsunami that followed struck the town very hard, with heavy loss of life on the river island where people were camping for a summer festival. The reconstruction that followed included a coastal park along the river as a buffer, designed as protection rather than amenity, and a new plan for the low ground.

History

Before the Spanish arrived, the Chango and Mapuche peoples used this river mouth for fishing and seasonal camps, and Spanish galleons and merchant ships later put in here. Santiago Oñederra made the first lasting settlement around 1791, and Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins authorised it in 1794 as Nueva Bilbao, after the Basque city; in 1828 it was renamed Constitución, and on 4 August 1828 Congress named it a major Chilean port (Wikipedia, Constitución, Chile).

The landscape

• Sandstone stacks on the beach - worn into arches and pillars.
• The Piedra de la Iglesia - the stack with an opening through it.
• Heavy losses in February 2010 - the earthquake and the tsunami.
• A coastal park built as a buffer - part of the reconstruction plan.

When to go

December to March. A full day.

What to expect

The 2010 disaster is recent and personal here. The town is a working port and pulp mill centre rather than a resort, and the mill is a visible presence. The sea is cold and the currents strong. Rocks are slippery at the stacks.

Nearby

Talca is inland, reachable by the branch railway; Chanco is south along the coast.

Key facts