Melipilla facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Melipilla
City and Commune
Coat of arms Location of the Melipillia commune in the Santiago Metropolitan Region Melipilla Location in Chile
Country	Chile
Region	Santiago Metro.
Province	Melipilla
Founded	1742
Government
• Type	Municipality
Area
• Total	1,344.8 km2 (519.2 sq mi)
Elevation	174 m (571 ft)
Population  (2002 Census)
• Total	108,540
Sex
Time zone	UTC-4 (CLT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-3 (CLST)
Website	Municipality of Melipilla

Melipilla is a city in Chile. Its name comes from the Mapudungun language and means "four Pillans." A Pillan is a spirit or god in Mapuche beliefs.

Melipilla is the main city of the Melipilla Province. It is also part of the Santiago Metropolitan Region. Think of it as an important city near the capital of Chile, Santiago.

The area of Melipilla is about 1,344.8 square kilometers. It shares borders with many other towns. These include María Pinto and Curacaví to the north. To the south are San Pedro and Alhué. To the east, you'll find Isla de Maipo, El Monte, Peñaflor, Padre Hurtado, and Paine. Finally, to the west is San Antonio.

In 2017, about 123,627 people lived in Melipilla. By 2020, this number was expected to grow to around 141,612 residents.

Climate

Melipilla has a specific climate. The average high temperature for the year is 23.4 degrees Celsius. The average low temperature for the year is 8.1 degrees Celsius.

History

People have lived in the Melipilla area for a very long time. This goes back to the last ice age, about 11,000 years BC. Early groups of hunters and gatherers moved into the valleys. Later, different cultures like the Bato and Llolleo cultures lived here.

Inca and Spanish Arrival

In the 15th century, the Inca culture reached this area. They set up a special community in Talagante. It was led by Prince Tala Canta Ilabe. Soon after the Incas, the Spanish arrived. The local people called the Spanish "wingka" in Mapudungun.

The native people living here were called picones or promaucaes. A main center for the picones was near the town of Pico, close to Melipilla. The Spanish leader Pedro de Valdivia gave seventy picones to Bishop Rodrigo González Marmolejo. Later, the bishop's nephew, Antonio González Montero, took care of them. In the 18th century, the town of Pico was near Pomaire, about 8 kilometers northwest of Melipilla.

Founding of Melipilla

Melipilla was officially started on October 11, 1742. This was done by José Manso de Velasco, who was the governor at the time. Local people wanted a town where families could live closer together.

Manso de Velasco visited the Melipilla valley. He saw it was a good place for a town. He decided to build it on a large, pleasant plain. This spot was about half a league from the north side of the Maipo River. The new town was named Logroño de San José. The local governor was told to follow the rules for setting up new towns.

Population

In 2002, a study by the National Statistics Institute showed that Melipilla had 108,540 people. By 2015, the population was estimated to be around 116,680.

Of the people living in Melipilla in 2002, about 60,898 (64.4%) lived in urban areas, which are cities and towns. The other 33,642 (35.6%) lived in rural areas, which are countryside areas.

Local Government

Melipilla is a "commune," which is like a local district in Chile. It is managed by a municipal council. The leader of the council is an alcalde, who is like a mayor. The alcalde is chosen by the people every four years. The alcalde from 2016 to 2020 was Ivan Campos.

The council members who help the alcalde are:

• Darío Jeréz Jeréz
• Juan Manuel González Alarcón
• José Guerra Silva
• Javier Ramírez González
• Daniel Domínguez
• Claudio Martínez Medina
• Fernando Pérez Aguirre
• Alexander Henríquez Armijo

Melipilla is also part of a larger area for national elections. It is represented in the Chamber of Deputies (similar to a House of Representatives) by several people. These include Raúl Leiva, Marisela Santibáñez, Juan Antonio Coloma, Jaime Bellolio, Leonardo Soto, and Renato Garín. In the Senate (similar to a national Senate), Melipilla is represented by Guido Girardi Lavín and Andrés Allamand.

Economy

In 2018, there were 2,804 businesses registered in Melipilla. The main types of businesses that do well here are:

• Making cheese
• Selling live animals in large amounts
• Raising chickens to produce meat

Transport

There are plans to build a new train line called Melitrén. This train line will connect Melipilla with Santiago. This will make it easier for people to travel between the two cities.

See also

In Spanish: Melipilla para niños