Curaco de Vélez is Chilean commune in Chiloé Archipelago which is part of Chiloé Province and Los Lagos Region. The commune is located in western Quinchao Island while the eastern part is administered by the commune of Quinchao.

Curaco is proud of its association with several famous Chilean sailors. From the War of the Pacific are Admiral Galvarino Riveros and Rear Admiral Manuel Oyarzún. Also remembered is Carlos Miller Norton navigator of the Goleta Ancud that took possession of the Straights of Magellan in 1843 for Chile. Hydrographer and explorer Francisco Hudson was also native to the town.

It is said that Galvarino Riveros Cárdenas was born in Changüitad. In his career he cruised the entire coastline of Chile caring out many delicate and important missions. The nation could not have found a more suitable commander than Riveros to defend the country in the War of the Pacific (1879).

On 13 and 15 January 1881, in command of his squadron, Riveros provided protective fire for the army assault that defeated the Peruvian forces leading to the surrender of Lima and Callao. The unaffected lives of Almirante Galvarino Riveros and Rear Admiral Manuel Oyarzún, architects of Chilean victory in the War of the Pacific remain a lesson to each succeeding generation of Chileans.

In 1660 the Jesuits noted simple dwellings here. The first haphazard buildings were of timber and straw. By 1724 the population was 262 made up of 33 families. By the beginning of the 20th century it had not grown much and the settlement was small and poor without streets or landing places. In 1901 Bishop Ramón Angel Jara created the parish and took up the task of giving it a structure that would allow for future growth.

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