Balmaceda

The population  of Balmaceda town rounds up to 500 inhabitants. Balmaceda was founded the January 1th of 1917 by a pilgrim named Jose Silva Ormeño, who tried to reunite his people, meaning immigrants of Argentina, in a same place. Balmaceda became the first town of Aisén and the locality nearest to the Andean country, where the local production was received in carts.

The layout of the town of Balmaceda considered a division of thousand sites; it was constructed a seat of Spanish style and a school. In 1928, the State recognized it as a villa. In 1945, the FACH (Air Force of Chile – Fuerza Aérea de Chile), installed an aerodrome that, five years later, began to decay, after the opening of the way to Coihaique (Camino Coihaique). At the present time, Balmaceda has the only national airport of the region and the border customs of the Huemules Step (Paso Huemules).

Going through Balmaceda, you will know the totality of the villa. You can easily see the amount of empty sites that never were occupied or that were abandoned, because of fires. In front of the town, it is located the modern international airport and customs. Right after, it is the borderline that goes parallel to the airport.

It includes the area to the south of Balmaceda and includes the  holes of the  Ibáñez, Baker and Passover rivers (Rios Ibáñez, Baker y Pascua); this last one is born in the O’Higgins Lake.

The heart of this sector is the General Carrera Lake , the largest of Chile and second of South America after the Titicaca.

In 1988 was inaugurated the section of the Carretera Austral that surrounds the lake by the north, showing up its west shore between Puerto Tranquilo and the Maitén Crossing . In 1991, the construction of the way was finished by the South shore, between the Maitén (El Maitén) and Chile Chico.

In 1995, the section of the Carretera Austral until Puerto Yungay was finished in the Pacific Ocean . In 1999, it was concluded the cross-sectional route to  O’Higgins Villa and at the moment it’s being worked in another way to  Explorer’s Bay , in the north limit of the   San Rafael Lagoon National Park.

In this sector re-appear the big forests, having also initiated plans of reforestation in some areas. Have special care with the fire; it is a threat for the vegetation and the forest, better choose the use of the stove that works with gas.

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