INFO:

Vicuña
Vicuña, es una de las 15 comunas que conforman territorialmente la Región de Coquimbo. Se encuentra dentro de la Provincia de Elqui y a 60 Kms. de la capital regional, La Serena.  Sus límites son, al norte, con la Comuna de La Higuera y la Provincia de Huasco; al este, con la Cordillera de Los Andes y la frontera con la República de Argentina; al sur, con las Comunas de Andacollo, Río Hurtado y Paihuano; y al oeste, con las Comunas de Andacollo y La Serena.

Territorialmente, es la segunda más grande en extensión territorial del país, con una superficie de 7.694 Km2.

Morfología de la Comuna Vicuña:
Su morfología o relieve comunal, es accidentado e intrincado, el que se acentúa en el escalafón andino superior, dando origen a las hoyas de ríos intermitentes y de las quebradas tributarias y principales. Una cuenca denominada Valle de Elqui, es cruzada de norte a sur por varias cadenas de montañas que se encuentran sobre los 4.000 mts. de altura, entre éstas tenemos la Cordillera de “Doña Ana”, La Punilla, Cordón Atimonate, Cordón de Balalita, Cordón de los Tilos y otros menores, y en sus intermedios se abren numerosas sub-cuencas o valles menores, en los cuales se asienta la mayor parte de la flora y fauna, además los núcleos de hábitat humanos.

Topografía de la Comuna de Vicuña:
En relación a su topografía, “la comuna es atravesada transversalmente por el Río Elqui, cuyos afluentes son el Río Turbio, que baja por el lado izquierdo del valle, y por el Río Claro que lo hace por el lado derecho, los que, al juntarse en la localidad de Rivadavia, forman el Río Elqui o Coquimbo”.


Clima de la Comuna de Vicuña:
Climáticamente “es una cuenca de tipo semiárido, provocado por la subsistencia tropical del anticiclón del pacífico, condición que es atenuada en invierno, con precipitaciones especialmente entre Julio y Agosto, época en que se concentran las mayores lluvias, las que varían entre los 50 y 150 mm.

La radiación solar es elevada, presenta gran sequedad ambiental y con un promedio de 90% de días despejados del año. A nivel de humedad ambiental, ésta tiene un margen regular que va desde un 15% a un 35% promedio al año”.

Sus condiciones atmosféricas permiten la existencia de cielos claros y transparentes, que los hacen ser los cielos más limpios del planeta y con condiciones excepcionales para la instalación de observatorios astronómicos de alto nivel.

El acceso a la Comuna, es por la Ruta 41 Gabriela Mistral, que se origina en La Serena (62 Km.), llegando hasta el paso de Agua Negra, frontera con Argentina.

Antecedentes de los poblados del Valle de Elqui

Poblados de la Comuna de Vicuña: Existe una gran cantidad de pequeños y pintorescos pueblos, que se encuentran a lo largo del Valle. Estos pueblos están situados, generalmente, al costado de las riberas del río, y se encuentran asentados sobre las faldas de los cerros o sobre las laderas en pequeñas planicies junto a las riberas.

En los lugares más llanos y más extensos, se encuentran las iglesias y plazas. Las casas son construidas de adobes y, generalmente, presentan un marcado predominio de terrazas de pirca, lo que las hacen tener características muy pintorescas e interesantes. Algunos de estos poblados típicos son:

• Marquesa, El Molle, El Tambo, Vicuña, San Isidro, Calingasta, Villaseca, Diaguitas, Rivadavia, Chapilca.

Recursos Naturales: La Comuna de Vicuña se caracteriza por la diversidad de recursos naturales que posee, y éstos constituyen una gran reserva de atractivos que posee la Comuna, entre ellos cuenta con:

• Cultivos: dentro de los valles se realizan diferentes cultivos, entre los que se destacan los frutales, como son la producción de la vid, paltos, papayas, entre otros. Si bien los cultivos mismos no son atractivos para el común de los visitantes, sí lo es el esfuerzo del hombre que ha logrado cultivar diversos lugares que parecían inaccesibles.

• Embalses: Si bien es cierto, estos son obra del ser humano, y por este motivo deberían estar en otra clasificación, no de recursos naturales, se destaca el entorno natural que en ellos se crea, facilitando las competencias náuticas y pesca deportiva.

• Cielo: La atmósfera del Valle de Elqui es seca, diáfana y con 300 noches de visibilidad. Por ello, la astronomía eligió estas montañas para instalar los importantes centros de observación del Hemisferio Sur. Estos complejos forman la mayor concentración de observación astronómica del mundo.

Vicuña, Chile

Coordinates: 33°00′S 71°31′W / 33°S 71.517°W / -33; -71.517
Regions Chile
Regions IV - Coquimbo Region
Vicuña February 22, 1821
Government
 - Mayor Fernando Guamán Guamán
Population (2002)
 - Total 24,010
 - Density 7.6/km2 (19.7/sq mi)
Time zone n/a (UTC-4)
 - Summer (DST) n/a (UTC-3)

Vicuña is a city in northern Chile founded during the government of Bernardo O'Higgins, to secure sovereignty over the Elqui Valley. It borders in the western part with the communes of The Fig tree, La Serena and Andacollo, in the eastern part with Argentina and in the southern part on Paihuano and Rio Hurtado. The capital is the city of Vicuña, principal city of the Valle de Elqui.

The Elqui Valley, is the magnetic center of the planet, the place where the earth is the most energetically charged. The Elqui Valley contains towns such as Vicuna, which is the former home of a Chilean Nobel Prize winner and home to an observatory perfect for stargazing. The Elqui Valley is also home to Pisco Elqui, where visitors can tour old pisco small distilleries. This peaceful region is a nice break from more heavily touristed areas and can help balance out some Chile vacations for travelers who are looking to avoid the crowds

It could be easily called the "paradise of Northern Chile". With its 340 sunny days per year, one of the clearest skies in the southern hemisphere, green vineyards climbing up high the surrounding mountains, deadly cold rivers and simple but picturesque towns, is this valley one of the most relaxing places in Chile. Many people have said after visiting Elqui – "There is something in the air…" Scientists say that this place has special magnetic vibrations and a very strong energetic pole. It might not be an accident that Valle del Elqui is situated just on the other side of planet from the Himalayas. The explication about the amazingly high flow of energy is said to be because this is where the cosmic energy enters our planet, then it runs through the deep heart of Earth and comes out on surface in Tibet, Himalayas. The result of this is that once you breathe the pure air of the valley, you calm down and start relaxing. There are many natural healing places, yoga and meditations sites.

Don't laugh when the locals tell you they have seen a UFO!!!! THEY ARE SURE OF IT! Anyway after a few days in the valley you might also believe it!! (Chile is one of the countries with the most UFO sightings in the world and many of them are in this valley)

History: The current Vicuña city was founded on February 22, 1821, for the Colonel don Joaquín Vicuña Larraín, who was the first Intendant of Coquimbo's Province, on order of don Bernardo O'Higgins, with the name of San Isidro's Villa of Vicuña. In 1872, it obtains the title of City and happens to be call simply A Vicuña, in honor to his founder.

Topography Vicuna's commune, with her 7.694 km², is the territorial unit of major extension inside the province and Coquimbo Region, being the most extensive second nacional commune.It occupies important part of the average and top section of the Elqui river, and besides the totality of the Turbid river.

Territory dominated widely by a mountainous relief, existing flat zones in the low soils of the valley, in which an agriculture develops with production of grape pisquera and of exportation, of great quality, besides other minor cultures of horticulture and fruits. It is interesting to annotate that in the mountain chain of La Punilla, Atimonate's cord, Balalita's cord, cord of Los Tilos and other minors, are located the principal hills for on the 4.000 msnm being outlined:

Demography and climate:  It has 7.609,8 km², in that they were living (in 2002) 24.010 habitant, of which 12,302 were men and 11,708 were women. The variation in population with regard to 1992 was 10,8%. Of the whole, 12,910 inhabitants live in urban zones and 11,100 in rural zones. In the city of Vicuna proper there are 12.910 inhabitants (National Institute of Statistics of Chile 2002).

Vicuña is characterized for a climate of character possesses transition between the arid wood nearest to the bark and the desert one that her neighbor possesses Atacama Region, for which it is characterized by almost absences of rainfall in summer, in spite of some occasions in which the Bolivian winter manages to flog the part cord and part of his valleys, in winter the rainfalls center in June and July where fall due a quantity brought near in the whole annual period of approximately 120 mm.

The temperatures in summer change between the 16 and 32°C, being the highest tempratura registered in 1996 (January 25 at 2 p.m.) that reached 38°C. In winter the thermometer changes between the-1 and 17°C. In this zone also one presents in winter epoch a phenomenon known in the zone as terral, which is characterized by winds of great temperature of cord origin, and his squalls reach even the 80 km/h.

Economy:  Vicuña is a major center for pisco production. CAPEL is the main pisco destillery in the zone. His economic activity centres on the culture of grapevine, fruits, cereals, forages and vegetables. In addition, it(he,she) possesses wool ranching and deposits of iron and copper. The tourism has gained great space in the last years, for what it relies on good housings and restaurants. One of the principal characteristics of Vicuña is that it possesses at least 300 totally clear days and nights, for what his local observatory Mamalluca transforms in the absolute protagonist for those who want to look at the universe across his telescopes in entertained tours of astronomic observation. The urban fabric presents noble and former constructions of beginning of 1900. The principal points of interest inside the city are his square of aged trees, which shows sculptures and motives that honour the poet I reward Nobel prize of literature Gabriela Mistral; the Temple of the Immaculate Concepcion; the Tower Bauer, where there works the office of tourist reports; the municipal chapter and the museums of Gabriela Mistral, Historical of the Elqui and the Ethnological one, between the most out-standing.

Tourism

To scanty kilometres of the city it is possible to discover the Route of the Grappa visiting the factories pisqueras Ruta Norte, Capel, Mistral, Tres Erres and Artesanos de Cochiguaz. Also the reservoir Puclaro, La Laguna, its natural viewing-points, the handcrafted fairs and the corner diaguita deserve a visit. Closely together of Vicuna there can visit picturesque townships like El Molle, El Tambo, Diaguitas, Rivadavia, Chapilca, Monte Grande and Pisco Elqui.

The Observatory Mammalluca located to 9 km to the north of the city of Vicuña, has tourist purposes and of education. Unlike the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, where only daily tourist visits are possible, and the telescopic observation is not possible except for personal specialist and astronomers, in Mamalluca, yes it is possible to observe using the telescope, both planets and visible stars during the starry nights of the Valle de Elqui. The observatory depends on the Illustrious Municipality of Vicuna, and to visit it you need to make an advance booking in the municipal offices of the city of Vicuna, near the main square.[1]

References: 

  1. Mamalluca Observatory Retrieved: January 2, 2009.

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