Chillán It is the capital city of the Ñuble Region in the Diguillín Province of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of the new Ñuble Region since 6 September 2015. Within the city are a railway station, an inter-city bus terminal, an agricultural extension of the University of Concepción, and a regimental military base. The city includes a modern-style enclosed shopping mall in addition to the multi-block open-air street market where fruits, vegetables, crafts and clothing are sold. The nearby mountains are a popular destination for skiing and hot spring bathing. Founded by the Spanish in 1580 the city persisted despite numerous attacks by Mapuche, Pehuenches and other tribes in war with Spain. Over time Chillán became an important marketplace where Mapuches, Pehuenches, Mestizos and Criollos met. Many goods from Patagonia and the Argentine Pampas were brought into the market of Chillán across the mountain passes of the area. In the early 19th century the countryside of Chillán was ravaged by the Chilean War of Independence and a subsequent banditry epidemic. In 1939 the city was devastated by a large earthquake prompting the government to initiate an extensive reconstruction program.
History
The zone where Chillán was built was previously inhabited by indigenous people called Chiquillanes. Chillán was founded in 1580 at the site of Chillán Viejo as San Bartolomé de Chillán by Martín Ruiz de Gamboa , who was campaigning against the local indigenous peoples at the time. However, this moniker did not fare well, and was replaced by the current name, which in the local Indian language means "where the Sun is sitting". During the Mapuche uprising of 1655 the city was besieged by Mapuche warriors. The Spanish defended the city from trenches and a palisade fort. Hoping for a miracle the Spanish put an image of Mary near the trenches which Mapuches are said to have thrown arrows against. In early March, about one month after the onset of uprising, distress was such that the Spanish abandoned the city and headed north escaping the conflict zone. The Real Audiencia of Santiago declared the evacuation an act of cowardice and prohibited refugees from Chillán to go beyond Maule River north. As there was an outbreak of smallpox among the refugees this was in effect an quarantine, as threespassing north was punished with death sentences. From its foundation, Chillán has been at the heart of Chile's rich agricultural region. It is also in a region of seismic activity, suffering from devastating earthquakes throughout its history; the 1939 Chillán earthquake left over 30,000 dead and mobilized international help. Chile's founding father, Bernardo O'Higgins, was born in Chillán in 1778. He was the force behind Chile's Independence from Spain, being elected Supreme Director and declaring independence after the Battle of Chacabuco against the Spanish in 1817. His later victory at the Maipo battlefield cemented the country's freedom. He died in exile in Peru in 1842.
Climate
Chillán has a mediterranean climate. Winters are cool but mild with a July average of. Most of the precipitation falls during this time of the year with May to July being the wettest months, averaging over. Summers on the other hand are dry and warm with a January average of and during this time, precipitation is rare, averaging only 2–3 days per month from December to February. Temperatures can occasionally exceed anytime from October to April. The average annual precipitation is but it is highly variable from year to year with 1982 being the wettest year at and 1998 being the driest year at only. The air in Chillán is the fourth-most polluted in Chile, after Santiago, Temuco, and Concepción. "As in Temuco, the main cause of air pollution in Chillán is the use of wood-burning stoves: about 62% of all households in Chillán use firewood as their main source of heating."
Demographics
According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, the commune of Chillán spans an area of and has 161,953 inhabitants. Of these, 148,015 lived in urban areas and 1,938 in rural areas. The population grew by 8.3% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses. The demonym for a person from Chillán, used for more than 400 years by local residents, is Chillanejo, yet this is not found in the Royal Spanish Academy Dictionary, which only recognizes Chillanense.
Notable people
In addition, Chillán has offered a number of artists. A notable example is Claudio Arrau, the pianist. Additionally there is Ramón Vinay, the tenor who played Otello in the 1950s. His recording the role with Toscanini. He was a regular at the New York's Metropolitan Opera, where he sang both tenor and baritone roles. One of his last performances at this house was as the Barber of Seville's Basilio, a bass role. He retired from the stage in 1969. Other "Chillanejos" include the writer Marta Brunet, the sculptorMarta Colvin, the painter Pacheco Altamirano and others such as Juan de Dios Aldea who, however, did not reach the international acclaim achieved by Arrau and Vinay, Finally Super Smash Bros. player Gonzalo "ZeRo" Barrios who had a record breaking 56 tournament winning streak is also from Chillán
Nowadays, the city of Chillán is connected to Chile's capital Santiago by both a modern highway and a rebuilt railway system TerraSur that makes the trip in less than five hours. TerraSur, which terminates in Chillán station, and the Alameda-Temuco Train both operate on the railway connecting Chillan with Rancagua and Santiago, although the Alameda-Temuco train also connects Chillan with Temuco.
