-The Atacama Region (Spanish: III Region de Atacama) is one of

Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It comprises three

provinces, Chañaral, Copiapó and Huasco. It is bordered to the
north by Antofagasta, to the south by Coquimbo, to east with
Provinces of Catamarca, La Rioja and San Juan of Argentina, and
to west with the Pacific Ocean. The regional capital Copiapó is
located at 806 km (501 mi) north of the country's capital of
Santiago. The region occupy the southern portion of Atacama
Desert, the rest of the desert is mainly distributed among the other
regions of Norte Grande.
For many years, this region was inhabited by tribes diaguitas. The
discoverer Diego de Almagro reached the valley of Copiapo in
1536, beginning the Discovery of Chile.
During colonial times, it was known as the northern boundary of
the country. On December 8, 1744 is founded the city of San
Francisco de la Selva , currently Copiapo. In 1789 was founded
by order of Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins , the city of Vallenar
Even during the period of the Republic Juan Godoy discovers
Chañarcillo silver ore in 1832. Thanks to this discovery Chile
became one of the leading producers of this metal in the world
and allows the emergence of the national economy . To improve
transport the ore to the outside is built here the first railway line of
the country by William Wheelwright, U.S. Merchant Marine,
joining Copiapo with Caldera (1851). Over time Santiago , capital
of Chile, begins to charge a mining tax Atacameña causing a war
between Atacama and Santiago , the Revolution of 1859.
Although the side regionalist (Army Atacama constituents
revolution) was defeated at the Battle of Cerro Grande 1859, the
conflict conducive to the Conservative Republic.
In 1916, copper mining began in Potrerillos, forging a bullante
city , which is currently uninhabited and basically surviving
remains of the smelting of minerals, now mine operated in El
Salvador .
Atacama unlike other regions of Chile, has a strong sense of
regional identity, almost unique in Chile, originated in their
historical, economic and cultural, so after the regionalization of
the second half of the 1970s, the Atacama Province did not
change in any such maintain its successor the Atacama region the
original conformation.
Hecho por :Krishna lopez y bryan pavez