Illapel

(Gold arrow)

Illapel is located on a plain along the side of the Illapel river, 37.2 miles northeast from Los Vilos and 158.4 miles south from Ovalle. It has a population of 28.968 inhabitants.

Illapel had its peak during the XIX century, due to the mining, cattle and agriculture exploitation that was exported through Los Vilos utilizing the railroad built in 1888 from Salamanca. Currently, Illapel survives on agriculture, services and small-scale mining. Illapel is a very active city, where traditions and its major archaeological sites are the city’s landmarks, besides the colonial constructions.
In one visit to Illapel you will able to see the plaza, in front of the Town Hall , a beautiful building with colonial style. It also stand out the Villarroel House (Casa Villarroel), the Mirador Houses and the La Puntilla Houses .

Leave the car at the square to visit the Municipality , a restored building with colonial style. Its neighboring streets maintain the beautiful houses from last century XIX, of one floor with stone foundations and adobe walls that enclosed the interior patios. The Villarroel House is a landmark in Illapel, from approximately 1780, located at the O’Higgins street corner with Recabarren.

Go further by car trough Independencia street towards the West, where you will see the Mirador Houses, from the last years of the XVIII century, a beautiful example of rural construction, originally of three parts built around a big patio, it belonged initially to María de Ahumada. Then cross the city of Illapel, to get out using a 0.62 miles road to Combarbalá until the La Puntilla Houses, built approximately in 1780. These are solid constructions of adobe with buttresses; today houses a school.

To finish the trip around Illapel, keep on going up through the Av. Ignacio Silva until Quillaicillo, where you can see the entire city of Illapel and its attractive surroundings.

Visiting Illapel can be part of a complete trip to get close to the inland valley areas of the Illapel river. It’s a circuit of 65.8 miles round trip from the Pan-American (Panamericana) through a paved road.

Nearby Illapel:

Cavilolén hill (Cerro Cavilolén), of 2.4 miles of extension, with magnificent views towards the inland areas of Choapa and Illapel valleys. The downhill is of 3.7 miles and it’s called Las Cañas hill (Cerro Las Cañas). The railroad lines cross these hills through a long tunnel. At mile 21.7 a road goes to La Ligua. At mile 25.4 it crosses the Choapa river through the Confluencia bridge (Puente Confluencia). After 2.4 miles there’s a detour that goes towards the coast through Mincha running next to the Choapa river (Río Choapa).

In front of the railroad crossing there’s an entrance of 656 feet that takes you to the Peral Houses (Casas del Peral), a nice rural construction from 1780, belonging to the big Choapa ranch. It’s structured over the base of two patios: one for ranch work and another for domestic activities.

At mile 29.8 you will pass in front of Cuz Cuz that means wild cat. It’s a beautiful village of Diaguita origin and main center of the pre Spaniard settlement. Here you find the Tallar Taucán, a cultural center with ethnic musicology courses that counts with an exhibition hall to show the handicrafts and products of the valley.

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