Quillota

Quillota is a city located in the Aconcagua River valley in central Chile's Valparaíso Region. It is the capital and largest city of Quillota Province, where many inhabitants live in the outlying farming areas of San Isidro, La Palma, Pocochay, and San Pedro. It is an important agricultural center, mainly because of the plantations of avocado and cherimoya (custard apple) trees. Quillota is connected to the city of La Calera by the small town of La Cruz. Charles Darwin described the area's agriculture and the landscape in his book The Voyage of the Beagle. In nearby La Campana National Park, there is a plaque at a viewpoint commemorating Darwin's visit. Quillota is from the national capital Santiago and from the regional capital Valparaíso. The Quillota valley had been densely populated for about 2,000 years. At the outset, the area was inhabited by Native Americans of the Bato and Lleo-Lleo cultures, who had migrated to the valley because of the fertile land south of the Aconcagua River. These natives were later influenced by Mapuches and Diaguitas. The Diaguitas are credited with the evolution of the local culture of the Aconcagua zone and were well known for their pottery. Later, Quillota was mitma and the capital of Qullasuyu, the southern Inca Empire. Diego de Almagro arrived in the valley in 1536. Incan scouts directed him to a beautiful and very fertile valley where the "Quillotas" lived. (Even before Almagro's arrival, a Spanish soldier from Peru called Don Gonzalo Calvo de Barrientos had been captured by the Quillotas and lived in the valley, learning the local language and culture during his captivity.) Almagro was delighted with the valley, but as he was searching for gold and finding none he returned to Peru. Almagro crossed the valley of Quillota and its environs. Having found the Aconcagua river overflowing and with few possibilities of finding gold, he deemed the land too difficult and returned to Peru, where he was executed. Later, in 1540, Pedro de Valdivia arrived in Chile with the title of Governor of Chile.