Renaico commune
by Nicolás Fuentes
Renaico is located in the southern part of central Chile, in the province of Malleco, which itself is part of the Araucanía Region. Renaico is the northernmost district of the Araucanía Region, on the border with the neighboring region to the north, known as Biobío.
In the past, when the Mapuche people freely inhabited the area, including the banks of the Renaico River, the river was known as Tolpán. This word came from two words in the Mapuche language of Mapudungun: thol, meaning “in front of,” or “facing,” and pangui, the native word for the pumas that inhabited the area. During the so-called “Occupation of Araucanía” in the 1860s, the soldier Cornelio Saavedra—who led this genocidal campaign against the Mapuche—tried to build a fort on the banks of the Renaico River. But it wasn’t until January 23, 1884 that the town as we know it today was founded, thanks to the rail line that was constructed between Renaico and Victoria, during the presidential administration of Domingo Santa María (which lasted from 1881 to 1886).
The town has an official population of 10,000 people, and its economy depends primarily on cattle, agriculture, logging, and the cultivation of fruits and vegetables.