The etymological origin of the name is the indigenous word Thalthal, which means “night bird.”
History
The history of Taltal begins with the opening of the copper mine "El Cobre" by José Antonio Moreno in 1850 about 20 kilometers north of Taltal. This brought miners and prospectors to the area. In 1855 Moreno expanded his operations to include Taltal. The discovery of copper in 1858 on nearby Mount Cachiyuyal increased pressure on the port, which had to utilize customs officials from Copiapo. So Moreno requested official recognition of the port which was granted by decree on 12 July 1858. However, the real boom began in 1876 with the opening of nitrate mines, in particular potassium nitrate. In 1879, the first nitrates were shipped from the area. In 1882 a railway was completed from Cachinal de la Sierra and other nitrate mining sites. It was built by the "Taltal Railway Company", a British company, sold to private investors in 1954, and dismantled in 1970 due to the end of nitrate mining. At the peak of production in the 1930s, Taltal had a population of over 30,000 and was the third largest nitrate port in Chile.
Demographics
According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Taltal had 11,000 inhabitants. Of these, 9,564 lived in urban areas and 1,536 in rural areas. The population grew by 2.3% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Llullaillaco National Park is an area of 268,670 ha protected by the National Forestry Corporation. It lies in the Andes at an altitude of between 3,000 and 6,700 meters, and includes the Llullaillaco Volcano, Cerro de la Pena Mountain and Cerro Aguas Calientes Mountain. The park is home to vicuñas and guanacos, with the highest population density of these species in the region. The park is part of the protected area of the Montano Desert that lies in the Cordillera Domeyko the desert steppe and the Andean salt flats.
Cifuncho bay, located 30 km south of Taltal. With an extensive and beautiful beach of white sand and turquoise water, it is considered one of the five most beautiful beaches in Chile.
El Medano canyon, located 90 kilometres north of Taltal, is one of the most important sites to observe cave paintings in the northern coast of Chile. This paintings are the remains of an extinct culture called the Chango people, who drew their experiences of hunting guanacos, sea lions and whales. It is believed that the paintings are between 500 and 1,000 years old.
Caleta Paposo is 54 km north of Taltal. It was once a mining centre and was inhabited by the pre-Hispanic Chango people. Surrounded by pastures irrigated by moisture coming off the sea, the area has a very rich flora and fauna and was once a border between Chile and Bolivia in the nineteenth century.
Architectural heritage
The city of Taltal contains many houses that are registered in the Inventory of Cultural Heritage Properties in Chile. Highlights include the Alhambra Theatre, the Augusto Capdeville Museum, the railroad houses, the Plaza Hotel, houses in the downtown area, the and the Protestant church.
Taltal wind farm
The company Enel Green Power has begun the construction of the new Taltal Wind Farm, which will be located in the commune of Taltal, Chile, approximately 1,500 kilometers north of Santiago, the Chilean capital. The project will require a total investment of $190 million US dollars and will produce a total of 99 megawatts. It will have 33 windmills, making it the biggest wind farm in Chile.
