Isla de Chiloé travel guide

Background

History

The original Chilotes (inhabitants of Chiloé) were the Chonos tribe, who were pushed south by the Huilliches, invading from the north. The first Spanish sighting of the islands was by Francisco de Ulloa in 1553 and, in 1567, Martín Ruiz de Gamboa took possession of the islands on behalf of Spain. The small settler population divided the indigenous population and their lands between them, but the Huilliche uprising after 1598 drove the Spanish out of the mainland south of the Río Biobío, isolating the 200 Spanish settlers on Chiloé. Following a violent earthquake in 1646, the Spanish population asked the viceroy in Lima for permission to leave, but this was refused. Much of Chiloé’s distinctive character derives from 200 years of separation from mainstream Spanish colonial development.

The islanders were the last supporters of the Spanish Crown in South America. When the Chilean patriot leaders rebelled, the Spanish governor fled to the island and, in despair, offered it to Britain. George Canning, the British foreign secretary, turned the offer down; Chiloé finally surrendered to the patriots in 1826. Visiting less than a decade later, Charles Darwin still clearly distinguished Chiloé from the rest of Chile, saying that here the Andes were not nearly “so elevated as in Chile”.

Throughout the 19th and the first part of the 20th century, Ancud was the capital of Chiloé. All that changed with the earthquake and maremoto (tidal wave) of 1960. This drastically altered the landscape in Ancud, bringing petrified trees to the surface and causing forests to submerge. The whole of the lower town was destroyed, except for the cathedral, which was badly damaged and then blown up rather than renovated; until then, this had been the second largest cathedral in South America. The capital was moved back to its former site at Castro, which is the only place in Chiloé that really feels urban today. The maremoto, and the rivalry between Ancud and Castro that it spawned, have never entirely been forgotten.

The relatively high birth rate and the shortage of employment in Chiloé have led to regular emigration, with Chilotes settling across Chile; they were prominent as shepherds in late 19th-century Patagonia and as sailors and fishermen along the coast. However, with the recent growth in the salmon farming industry, more Chilotes are choosing to stay.

Folklore

Chiloé’s distinctive history and its maritime traditions are reflected in the strength of its unique folklore. There is widespread belief in a mermaid (pincoya); witches, who are said to meet at caves near Quicaví (between Dalcahue and Quemchi); and a ghost ship, the Caleuche, which whisks shipwrecked sailors aboard . The Caleuche is said to transform itself into a log, brought ashore by its crew (who become birds) when it needs repairs. Legend has it that Chiloé’s dead are rowed along the reaches of Lago Huillinco and Lago Cucao in a white ship, out into the Pacific. For further information about the myths associated with the islands, read Casos de Brujos de Chiloé by Umiliana Cárdenas Saldivia (1989, Editorial Universitaria) and Chiloé, Manual del Pensamiento Mágico y Creencia Popular by Renato Cárdenas and Catherine Hall (1989, El Kultrún).

Climate

The appalling climate of Chiloé is almost as legendary as the witches that are said to live there. The west coast has particularly vile conditions – it can rain here for three weeks at a time – while the sheltered east coast and offshore islands are only a little drier. Some of the best weather is in early December and late March. The main benefits of the climate are culinary: the Humboldt Current and the sheltered east coast ensure a wide variety of fresh shellfish is available all year. Chiloé also has indigenous elephant garlic, which is used to make a very tasty garlic sauce, as well as several dozen endemic varieties of potato.

Getting around

Frequent bus services, which connect with ferry sailings, operate between Ancud and Castro (the main towns on Chiloé) and Puerto Montt. It is possible to travel direct to many cities, including Santiago, Osorno, Valdivia, Temuco and Los Angeles. Inter-urban bus transport is dominated by Cruz del Sur, who also owns Trans Chiloé, operating from their own terminals in Ancud and Castro. Cruz del Sur also operates its own ferries to the mainland, which give priority to Cruz del Sur buses. The only independent long-distance bus operator to the island is Queilen Bus (cheaper but less regular). Provincial bus services are crowded, slow and often wet, but provide a good picture of life in rural Chiloé. Mountain bikes and horses are ideal for travelling slowly through remote parts of the archipelago.