1st row: Pelluco, spa and tourist town in the commune of Puerto Montt.2nd row: Night panoramic view of downtown Puerto.3rd row: Monument to Vicente Pérez Rosales, and eruption of the Calbuco volcano from the city.4th row: On the left, Bell Tower of the Society of Jesus; on the right-top, Church of the Jesuit Fathers; to the right-below, Chinquihue stadium.
Puerto Montt has gained renown and grown significantly through the rise of Chile to become the second largest salmon producer of the world during the 1990s and 2000s. However, theChilean salmon aquaculture crisis of the late 2000s resulted in severeunemployment and exposed weaknesses in the local economy. The city's cultural endowment mixes elements of Chilean-Spanish culture with a German heritage. The city has attracted a significant number of newcomers from all over Chile in the last 30 years[which?] in search of employment opportunities.[citation needed]
Originally, the site was covered by thick forest and was calledMelipulli (which means "four hills" inMapudungun). It was selected as an entrance toLake Llanquihue when its proximity to the open sea was discovered by the colonial government. The expedition was entrusted toBernardo Philippi, a German naturalist and cartographer, but after his death in 1851, Vicente Perez Rosales took over his duties, and by the end of September started to chop trees at Reloncaví sound using local woodsman coming from Huar, Maillen, Huelmo and Calbuco Mainly. By December, after the forest was cut down, the area was burned to clear the land in anticipation of completing the settlement plan.[5] The city itself was founded on February 12, 1853, after government-sponsoredimmigration from Germany that began in 1848 populated the region and integrated it politically to the rest of the country.[citation needed] It was named afterManuel Montt,President of Chile between 1851 and 1861, who set in motion the German immigration.[citation needed]
In 1912, the city was connected by train to Santiago, making it an important point of entry into Chilean Patagonia and augmenting its commercial development. By 1950, it had a population of 27,500, and the city was rapidly urbanizing. However, the1960 Valdivia earthquake destroyed much of Puerto Montt, collapsing the port and the train station along with many building and houses. Eventually the city recovered, becoming once again an important urban centre as well as a port of national interest.[6]
At the start of March 1969, approximately 90 landless people received poor advice fromSocialistMember of Parliament Luis Espinoza.[citation needed] The families were never granted land needed to build their homes. On March 4, 1969, the families settled on empty, unoccupied farmland owned by an absentee landlord.[citation needed] The families sought squatters' rights. Approximately four to five days after moving onto the land, the localPolice Chief Rolando Rodríguez Marbán assured the squatters that they would not be disturbed, and could proceed with their home construction. Unfortunately, the Ministry of the Interior changed their orders, which led to tragic results.[citation needed]
On midnight on March 9, Espinoza was charged with breaking the law, arrested, and moved to the city ofValdivia, where he was held. Following direct orders from the Minister of InteriorEdmundo Pérez Zujovic, 250 armed policemen launched an assault on the squatting families at dawn. Eight squatters were shot dead. Two squatters, a 9-month child and an adult later died from their wounds. The newly built homes were decimated.[7] The massacre is poignantly memorialized by singer-songwriterVíctor Jara in his songPreguntas por Puerto Montt.
By 1979, Puerto Montt was nominated and later become the Capital of Los Lagos Region, thereby becoming the principal administrative, political and commercial centre of Southern Chile.[8]
By 1982, the commune already reached 103,680 inhabitants. From the late 1980s, the city began to experience a new accelerated growth, both in population and in the economic sphere, mainly due to the installation of the industry Chilean salmon farm, of which Puerto Montt became its nerve center.[citation needed]
According to the 2017census, Puerto Montt has 245,902 inhabitants (121,019 men and 124,883 women), of which 25,759 live inrural areas and 220,143 live inurban areas. From 218,858 inhabitants in the 2012 census, the population grew by 12.36% (27,044 people).
Puerto Montt has a wetoceanic climate (Köppen:Cfb) with heavy rainfall throughout the year but a drying trend in the summer. Although temperatures are consistently below 25 °C (77 °F), frosts are very rare and occur only a couple of times per month in the winter.
Climate data for Puerto Montt (El Tepual Airport) 1991–2020, extremes 1964–present
Puerto Montt is the capital of theLos Lagos Region and theLlanquihue Province, and the main sea port at the lower end of Chile's western continental land. The city is the principal commercial, services, and financial hub of the ChileanNorthern Patagonia—Zona Austral.
The city's economy is now based upon agriculture, cattle, andforestry on the surrounding islands, and fishing andsalmon aquaculture in thefjords and nearby Pacific Ocean.
During the 19th century, before and after the founding of Puerto Montt, the extraction and commercialization of wood, mainly larch, was the main economic activity in the area. Other existing items since the creation of the city were, to a lesser extent, alcohol distilleries, grain oil factories, breweries and the sale of items imported from Germany or Valparaíso. Puerto Montt, as the capital, was vital in the entry and exit of merchandise to the area, since the seaway was the only way to get the products out - the train would only arrive in 1912.
Salmon aquaculture
The city is configured as the hub of one of the largestsalmon aquaculture industries in the world. Hatcheries, fisheries and packing plants are mostly located south of Puerto Montt. Fresh salmon is flown daily to world markets and frozen salmon is shipped by ocean to all destinations. The tremendous growth of the region, mainly due to the salmon industry, but also due to rapid expansion of forestry, cattle, and tourism, has proven the massive economic potential of Puerto Montt and its surrounding area.
The city of Puerto Montt hosts a number of international relations institutions, such as the Regional Unit of International Affairs (URAI) of theRegional Government of Los Lagos, responsible for analyzing and managing the region’s bilateral and multilateral relations withLatin America and the rest of the world; the Tourism and International Relations Commission of the Regional Council of Los Lagos; the regional office of theNational Migration Service; the regional office of theGeneral Directorate for Export Promotion (ProChile); the Department of Migration and International Police of theInvestigations Police; the Migrant Office,[14] and the International Relations Officer of the Municipality of Puerto Montt.[15]
In the field of higher education internationalization, the main actor in Puerto Montt is the Directorate of International Relations of theUniversity of Los Lagos.[16]
Within theelectoral division of Chile, representatives of Puerto Montt, District 26 (Puerto Montt,Cochamó,Maullín,Calbuco,Castro,Ancud,Quemchi,Dalcahue,Curaco de Vélez,Quinchao,Puqueldón,Chonchi,Queilén,Quellón,Chaitén,Hualaihué,Futaleufú andPalena) in the Chambers of Deputies 2018-2022 are Jenny Álvarez Vera (PS), Gabriel Ascencio Mansilla (PDC), Alejandro Santana Tirachini (RN), Carlos Kuschel Silva (RN) and Alejandro Bernales (Liberal Party). The current Representatives in the Senate period 2014-2022 are Rabindranath Quinteros Lara (PS) and Ivan Moreira Barros (UDI).Regional councilors members 2018-2022 are Ricardo Kuschel Silva (RN), Jaime Brahm Barril (RN), Juan Ortiz Roble (UDI), Manuel Rivera Altamirano (PS), Juan Carcamo Carcamo (PDC) and Valentina Alvarez (Ind/PPD).[19][20][21]
Puerto Montt has 175 registered schools varying fromeducational levels such as pre-school, primary school, secondary school, special school as well as technical-professional and adult schools.[22]
Arabe Siria School is a Catholic, public school teaching from pre-school to primary school.
Alerce Rural School is a Catholic, public school from pre-school to primary school with some support to children with special needs.
Angelmo Elementary School is a public school with education levels from pre-school to primary school with support to children with special needs.
Adventist Private School is a religious, private and subsidized school owned by Seventh-day Adventist Church Corporation and teach from pre-school to primary school.[23]
The British School Patagonia is part of Red de colegios Patagonia and a private and subsidized school, from pre-school to secondary school
Pumahue School, member ofCognita School is a private, non-subsidized school, from pre-school to secondary school.[24][25]
Salesiano Padre Jose Fernández Perez, is a Catholic, private and subsided school, that ranging from pre-school to secondary school with support to children with special needs, as well as technical and adults school.[26]
Deutsche Schule (German Institute) of Puerto Montt is a private, non-subsidized school member of DS CHILE "Association of German schools in Chile" with an international exchange and support from Germany, teaching from pre-school to secondary school.[27][28]
Industrial Lyceum of Puerto Montt is a public, secondary school with a focus on technical professions.
Lafquen Montessori School, Known to useMontessori method is a private and subsidized school, from pre-school to secondary-school with support to children with special needs.[29]
Mother Isabel Larragaña Adult school is a Catholic and Private school with a primary and secondary school program for adults.[30]
Joaquin de los Andes Auditory and Language Special School is anholistic, private and subsidized school for pre-school children withSLI and Deafness.[31]
^Oficina Municipal de Patrimonio Cultural."Historia". Municipalidad de Puerto Montt.Archived from the original on May 17, 2016. RetrievedApril 20, 2016.
