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Elqui River facts for kids

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Elqui River
Rio-elqui.png
The Elqui River on the map
Country Chile
Physical characteristics
Main source Junction of Turbio River and Claro River (Elqui)
815 m (2,674 ft)
River mouth Pacific Ocean
Basin features
Basin size 9,826 km2 (3,794 sq mi)

The Elqui River is a beautiful river in Chile. It starts high up in the Andes mountains and flows all the way to the Pacific Ocean. It ends near the city of La Serena. This area is famous for making wine and a special drink called pisco. The town of Vicuña is in the middle of the valley. A famous poet named Gabriela Mistral lived there. She even won a Nobel Prize for her writing!

You can find a plant called Limnobium laevigatum in the river. It's an invasive species, which means it's not originally from here. It's the furthest north this plant grows in Chile.

History of the Elqui Valley

Ancient Names and Languages

Many place names in the Elqui Valley come from old native languages. Most of these names are from the Quechua and Mapuche languages. There are not many names from the Diaguita language, even though this area was once their homeland.

Quechua names appeared when the Inca Empire took over the valley. This happened in the late 1400s and early 1500s. Some Mapuche names came after the Inca rule. But others might be even older. A few names also come from other languages like Nahua, Kunza, Aymara, and Taino.

The Inca Empire and the Valley

Many historians believe the Inca Empire took control of northern Chile through battles. This led to fewer people living in the Transverse Valleys of Norte Chico. This area was the home of the Diaguita people.

Some evidence suggests that the Incas moved people from the Elqui Valley to southern Bolivia. This happened after the Incas defeated them. Then, the Incas brought new groups of people to live in the Elqui Valley. This is how many Quechua place names became common.

We are not sure exactly when these changes happened. A writer named Diego de Rosales wrote about a rebellion against the Incas. This happened in the Diaguita lands of Coquimbo and Copiapó. It was during a time when the Incas were fighting among themselves. The Incas stopped this rebellion very harshly.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Río Elqui para niños

  • Elqui Valley (wine region)
  • Pisco Capel
  • Julio Alberto Mercado Illanes
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