Vichuquén


Vichuquén is a commune in the Curicó Province of Chile's Maule Region.

History

The Spanish arrived along the Lico rivers in 1585, where settlements of the Mapuche and Inca already existed. In 1865, Vichuquén founded its capital of the village of the same name.. In 1987, the old part of the town was declared a "Typical Zone Vichuquén" for its colonial style architecture.

Geography

Vichuquén is located northwest of the Curicó Province. It also has the Vichuquén lakes :es:Lago Vichuquén| in its boundaries, as well as the Laguna Torca National Reserve. The commune spans an area of.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Vichuquén spans an area of and has 4,916 inhabitants. Of these, 1,368 lived in urban areas and 3,548 in rural areas. The population fell by 0.3% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Vichuquén is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Román Pavez López.
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Vichuquén is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Roberto León and Celso Morales as part of the 36th electoral district,. The commune is represented in the Senate by Juan Antonio Coloma Correa and Andrés Zaldívar Larraín as part of the 10th senatorial constituency.