Huanillos facts for kids
Huanillos, sometimes called Guanillos, is a place on the coast of the Tarapacá region in Chile. It is about 130 kilometers (around 80 miles) south of Iquique, the capital city of the region. Long ago, Huanillos was famous for having lots of guano, which is a natural fertilizer.
Contents
History of Huanillos
Huanillos was once a very important place for finding guano. Guano is the droppings of seabirds, and it was used as a powerful fertilizer in the 1800s, especially in Peru. A German scientist named Alexander Von Humboldt was the first to study guano and its uses. He explored the plants and animals of South America.
Guano Discovery and Border Changes
Between 1845 and 1851, a Peruvian engineer found the guano deposits in Huanillos. Until 1879, the border between Peru and Bolivia was close to the Bolivian city of Antofagasta. However, after a conflict called the Pacific War, Chile took control of this area.
Building the Village
In 1874, the Peruvian government gave permission to start digging up the guano. This led to the creation of a new village called Huanillos.
Life in Huanillos
The village grew to have 825 people. Most of them were men (729), with 96 women. Huanillos was a busy place. It had hotels, a court house, shops, offices, and homes for the workers.
Who Worked There?
There were three main groups of workers in Huanillos: Peruvians, Chileans, and people called "coolies." Coolies were workers who came from China. They mostly worked hard to dig up the guano.
Chinese Coolies
Chinese coolies were common workers during that time. In the 1850s, the Peruvian government made a special agreement with China. Peru would pay 50 soles for each Chinese coolie who came to work in places like Huanillos. These workers often faced very difficult conditions.
Huanillos Today
Today, Huanillos is a ghost town. It is a quiet place full of memories and stories from the past. One interesting story is about a mysterious building called the "Garcia-Burr Castle."
The Mysterious Castle
Nobody knows exactly when the "Garcia-Burr Castle" was built. Some people think it is less than 100 years old. The only information found about the castle says it was built by someone named Freddy Campaña.
See also
In Spanish: Guanillos para niños
