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HISTORY OF COYHAIQUE AND PUERTO AYSéN

  • Coyhaique and Puerto Aysén
  • Coyhaique and Puerto Aysén
  • Coyhaique and Puerto Aysén

Coyhaique was populated by tehuelches, alacalufes (kaweskar) and Chonos, who moved along the canals and the slopes of the Andes. However, with the arrival of the Spanish colonizers much of its population was decimated by disease, battles, or losing their livelihoods.

In the nineteenth century began the occupation of this territory through the region of the Araucanía, Patagonia Argentina, valleys of the rivers Aysen, Simpson and Lake General Carrera. Others decided to settle in the Chiloé Archipelago. The commerce in the area was based on the establishment of cattle ranches.

Because of this, significant burning of native forest had to be done, to create what became known as Pampa Corral, opposite the junction of the rivers Simpson and Coyhaique .

In the early twentieth century began the development of the central area, which allowed the development of the new city. In the 70s, with the improvement in the works of the Carretera Austral, the communication of the territory improved, allowing terrestrial communication between entire sector.

The city of Aysen, in turn, was discovered by Hernando de Magallanes. This territory was known by the Spanish as the Trapanada Province and renamed “Tierras de Diciembre " (Land of December) by Magallanes during his expedition in 1520.

The first settlers arrived in Puerto Aysen in mid-nineteenth century from Chiloé, Argentina and Germany, who based their business in farming, fishing and cypress logging from the Guaitecas Islands.

In the early twentieth century, the Chilean government gave land grants in the Chilean Patagonia to some societies like the Sociedad Industrial de Aysén (Aysen Industrial Society), which committed itself to settle in the area together with 100 families and establish regular navigation between Aysen and Puerto Montt. This led to the creation of the city of Puerto Aysen in 1913.

The Puente Presidente Ibáñez (President Ibañez Bridge), which crosses the Aysen River and is considered a National Monument, was inaugurated in the 60s.