Lota, Chile

Lota
City and Commune
Dusk in Lota
Coat of arms Location of Chiguayante commune in the Biobío Region Lota Location in Chile
Coordinates: 37°05′S 73°10′W / 37.083°S 73.167°W / -37.083; -73.167Coordinates: 37°05′S 73°10′W / 37.083°S 73.167°W / -37.083; -73.167
Country	Chile
Region	Biobío
Province	Concepción
Founded	1662
Founded as	Santa María de Guadalupe
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Alcalde	Patricio Marchant Ulloa (PDC)
Area
• Total	135.8 km2 (52.4 sq mi)
Elevation	82 m (269 ft)
Population (2012 Census)
• Total	47,339
• Density	350/km2 (900/sq mi)
• Urban	48,975
• Rural	114
Sex
• Men	23,944
• Women	25,145
Time zone	CLT (UTC−4)
• Summer (DST)	CLST (UTC−3)
Area code(s)	56 + 41
Website	Official website (Spanish)

Lota is a city and commune located in the center of Chile on the Gulf of Arauco, in the southern Concepción Province of the Biobío Region, 39 kilometres south of Concepción, and is one of the ten cities (communes) that constitutes the Concepción metropolitan area. The city is mostly known for being the traditional centre of coal mining in Chile, albeit mining ended in the 1990s.

The first Spanish settlement, Santa Maria de Guadalupe, was founded by the governor Ángel de Peredo on October 12, 1662 but it did not survive long amidst the hostilities of the Arauco War. The modern city is linked to the coal mining industry that existed there from the mid-nineteenth century. The initial trigger of coal mining was the arrival of steamships to the port of Talcahuano. These steam ships, most of whom were English, bought initially the coal very cheaply and the exploited coal seams were easy to work as they laid almost at ground level. Industrialist Matías Cousiño begun mining operations in Lota in 1852. Coal mining transformed rapidly Lota, from being a sparsely populated frontier zone in the mid-19th century, into a large industrial hub that attracted immigrants from all over Chile well into the 20th century.

Lota was formally established as a town on January 5, 1875 and became a city on November 30, 1881. The name Lota is thought to be derived from the Mapudungun word Louta meaning small piece of land.

In 1960 miners and their families started a general strike demanding higher salaries. As protesters marched on Concepción the 1960 Concepción earthquake struck the territory ending the strike. During much of the 20th century the city was a stronghold of pro-Soviet communism. The city's coal mines were nationalized in 1971 by Salvador Allende, a move that was welcomed by miners. Things did however change when Allende was overthrown and the military dictatorship was established. The dictatorship outlawed Lota's political parties and powerful trade unions. People active in these organizations were persecuted, and in some instances killed by the military. Much of the local press was suppressed as it had links either to the trade unions or to political parties.

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Wikipedia