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Chillán
KNOWLEDGE OF Chillán
Chillán, is a city in Chile located about 400 km south of capital, Santiago. It was founded in 1581 as San Bartolomé de Gamboa by Martín Ruiz de Gamboa, who was campaigning against the local indigenous peoples at the time. However, this moniker did not fare well, and was replaced by the current name, which in the local Indian language means "where the Sun is sitting".
From its foundation, Chillán has been at the heart of Chile's rich agricultural region. It is also in a region of seismic activity, suffering from devestating earthquakes throughout its history; the last, in 1939, left over 30,000 dead and mobilized international help. The current population of Chillán is about 160,000.
Chile's national hero, Bernardo O'Higgins, was born in Chillán in 1778. He was the force behind Chile's Independence from Spain, being elected Supreme Director and declaring Independence after the Battle of Chacabuco against the Spaniards (1817). His later victory at the Maipo battlefield cemented the country's freedom. He died in exile in Peru in 1842.
In addition, Chillán has offered a number of great artists to the world. A very notable example is Claudio Arrau, the world famous pianist. Additionally there is Ramón Vinay, the tenor who was "the" Othello of the 1950s. His recording of the role with Toscanini is a perennial classic. He was a regular at the New York's Metropolitan Opera, where he sang both tenor and baritone roles. One of his last performances at this house was as the Barber of Seville's Basilio, a bass role. He retired from the stage in 1969, in a performance of Othello at Santiago's Teatro Municipal. Coincidentally, another tenor from Chillán made his debut in the same performance, as Cassio: Germán Bustos, active in U.S. stages during the 1970s. He also appeared in European and South and Central American opera seasons.
Other "chillanejos" are also part of Chile's best artistic and literary traditions: Marta Brunet, a writer; Marta Colvin, a sculptress; Pacheco Altamirano, a painter, and numerous others who, however, did not reach the international acclaim achieved by Arrau and Vinay.
Nowadays, the city of Chillán (capital of the Ñuble Province) is connected to Chile's capital Santiago by both a modern highway and a rebuilt railway system that makes the trip in less than four hours.
From its foundation, Chillán has been at the heart of Chile's rich agricultural region. It is also in a region of seismic activity, suffering from devestating earthquakes throughout its history; the last, in 1939, left over 30,000 dead and mobilized international help. The current population of Chillán is about 160,000.
Chile's national hero, Bernardo O'Higgins, was born in Chillán in 1778. He was the force behind Chile's Independence from Spain, being elected Supreme Director and declaring Independence after the Battle of Chacabuco against the Spaniards (1817). His later victory at the Maipo battlefield cemented the country's freedom. He died in exile in Peru in 1842.
In addition, Chillán has offered a number of great artists to the world. A very notable example is Claudio Arrau, the world famous pianist. Additionally there is Ramón Vinay, the tenor who was "the" Othello of the 1950s. His recording of the role with Toscanini is a perennial classic. He was a regular at the New York's Metropolitan Opera, where he sang both tenor and baritone roles. One of his last performances at this house was as the Barber of Seville's Basilio, a bass role. He retired from the stage in 1969, in a performance of Othello at Santiago's Teatro Municipal. Coincidentally, another tenor from Chillán made his debut in the same performance, as Cassio: Germán Bustos, active in U.S. stages during the 1970s. He also appeared in European and South and Central American opera seasons.
Other "chillanejos" are also part of Chile's best artistic and literary traditions: Marta Brunet, a writer; Marta Colvin, a sculptress; Pacheco Altamirano, a painter, and numerous others who, however, did not reach the international acclaim achieved by Arrau and Vinay.
Nowadays, the city of Chillán (capital of the Ñuble Province) is connected to Chile's capital Santiago by both a modern highway and a rebuilt railway system that makes the trip in less than four hours.
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