Quemchi

Quemchi is a comune ( Comuna ) in the south of Chile on the island of Chiloé in the Región de los Lagos. It is the birthplace of the Chilean writer Francisco Coloane, is also in Quemchi a church, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Location and size

The community Quemchi is located on the northeast coast of the island of Chiloé and covers an area of ​​440.3 km ². The distance to Castro, the capital of the province of Chiloé, is 67 km. The municipality includes the offshore island Caucahué as well as the archipelago Islas Chauques that (15 km ²), Añihué, Voigue, Cheñiao, Butachauques, Tac and Aulin consists of Mechuque. The community Quemchi is made of the same city and the following villages:

• Lliuco
• Huite
• Quemchi
• Aucar
• Montemar
• Choen
• Colo
• Quicaví.

Population

The 2002 census showed that for the municipality has a population of 8689 inhabitants, of whom 1665 (19.2% ) in the city Quemchi and 7024 ( 80.8 %) lived in the belongs to the municipality of villages. From 1992 to 2002, the population increased by 6.1 % (501 people ).

History

. Quemchi The name was first mentioned in 1810, as the founding year of the city, however, is the year 1882 1810 the place consisted only four houses, one of which is a family name Coloane - ancestor of the 1910 -born writer here - belonged. In 1875 the first church was built in Quemchi. She fell in 1934 along with 40 other buildings, a major fire and was rebuilt in the 1940s. In the earthquake of 1960, standing on the sea stilt houses were destroyed.

The Chilean writer Francisco Coloane, the Quemchi " community of a thousand landscapes" called, was born in 1910 in Huite and attended school here.

While initially forestry, wood processing and shipping of the beaten around the city wood formed the economic basis Quemchis, has greatly increased since the 1990s, with the improvement of the overall Chilean economy of tourism in and around Quemchi important. With the paving of the main access road to Quemchi in 2000, the transport links and the economic situation of the community were greatly improved.

Structures

The Iglesia de San Antonio in the town of Colo is one of 16 wooden churches on Chiloe, which have been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It was built in the late 19th century and restored in 1996 and 2005. The church, which was built mainly from wood of coihue southern beech and cypress on a stone base, is one of the smallest churches in the island of Chiloé. My tower has a height of 16.50 m, while the nave is 23 m long. Inside the church are, inter alia, two paintings noteworthy that represent Mary and the patron saint of the church, Anthony of Padua. On August 10, the church was declared a national cultural heritage.

The Museum of the City is dedicated to the city's history and the life and work of Francisco Coloanes. Is the mausoleum of his family in the old cemetery in the town center a much visited attraction, as is the coastal road Calle Centenario.

Environment

At the Bay of Quemchi located 4 km south of the city, the village Aucar with the upstream Isla Aucar, which is reached by a nearly 600 m long wooden bridge and is completely occupied by a cemetery with associated chapel. Francisco Coloane island called the "Isle of seafaring souls."

The island is visited Caucahué because of their sea lion colony and its built at the beginning of the 20th century church. On the island Mechuque with its 1090 inhabitants ( 2002), which with an area of ​​15 km ², the largest island of the group Islas Chauques, many people live in houses on stilts, and the 2004 National Cultural appointed school is housed in a stilt house.

For the community Quemchi of tourism as an economic factor since the 1990s has gained considerable importance. The village Lliuco, 14 km north of the city Quemchi is, because of its hostile sandy beach - one of the longest beaches of Chiloé - known which offers many opportunities for water sports. The Laguna Popetán where the village Montemar (8 miles) is much visited for water sports.