Villarrica

Introducing Villarrica

Known to most travelers as 'that town that we passed through on the way from Temuco to Pucón, ' Villarrica is not without some appeal of its own. It is bigger and a bit more chaotic than its touristy neighbor Pucón, but has a down-to-earth feel, more reasonable prices and a faded resort glory that attracts travelers of a certain lax disposition. It also has a more local character than Pucón, which gets packed with vacationing Santiaguinos and foreigners. If you are here in the summer and wish to spend time at the lake you will find superior beaches down the road in Pucón.

Villarrica is, in fact, one of Chile's oldest cities. That piece of information is hard to fathom when walking through the cramped commercial downtown, but it was founded back in 1552. The town has a storied past and was a flash point in the Spanish-Mapuche war. In 1576 just 800 Spanish held Villarrica's fort against 12, 000 indigenous fighters. In 1602 Cacique Cuminaguel took control of the city and destroyed it. Not until 1883 did the Mapuche toqui (chief) Epuléf allow the Chilean state to maintain a permanent presence.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009