Temuco

Temuco was founded in 1881 as a fort during the campaign the Chilean state called the Pacification of Araucania, which ended the independence the Mapuche had held south of the Biobio since the sixteenth century - including through the entire Spanish colonial period, which they were never conquered in. The city grew on that ground and is now the centre of Chilean Mapuche life: the Feria Pinto market sells the produce, herbs and crafts of the region, and the Museo Regional de la Araucania sets out the history. The land claims that followed the confiscations of the 1880s remain unresolved and are the central political question of the region.

Background

Temuco is the capital of Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region, 670 kilometres south of Santiago, and it grew from a fort founded on 24 February 1881 in the middle of the traditional Mapuche lands. Its central position, with easy access to Andean valleys, lakes and the coast, makes it a hub for tourism, farming, livestock and forestry and a trade centre for the region's many small towns. It is home to two large universities, the University of the Frontier and the Catholic University of Temuco, and the Nobel laureates Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda both lived here for a time. The 2017 census counted 282,415 people in the commune.

Source: Wikipedia, "Temuco"

What to look for

• Founded in 1881 as a fort - during the campaign against the Mapuche.
• A people never conquered by Spain - independent until the Chilean campaign.
• The Feria Pinto market - produce, herbs and crafts of the region.
• Unresolved land claims - the region's central political question.

When to go

December to March. A full day.

Good to know

The city is functional rather than scenic. Museum framing of the 1880s campaign varies. Rain is frequent.

Nearby

Lake Budi and the coast are west; Villarrica and Pucon are east.

Key facts