Puchuncaví is a town and commune in the Valparaíso Province of central Chile's fifth region of Valparaíso. It spans a coastal area of 299.9 km² (116 sq mi).

The history of Puchuncaví and its surroundings goes back over 500 years, being one of the oldest localities in Chile. The contemporary name comes from the Mapudungun "Punchuncahuin", meaning "where abound". Similarly, there have been other meanings to this word, such as "Remains of Fiestas" or "End of Fiestas".

There are no precise dates known relating to the origin of Puchuncaví, and it is presumed that at the arrival of the Spaniards a shantytown by this name existed. Puchuncaví was one of the terminals of the famous Inca road system, a stone footpath of medium width that united the Zona Central of Chile with Cuzco, Peru, the capital of the Inca Empire.

In this location resided a Curaca or direct representative of the Inca, in charge of collecting taxes, crops, and imposing imperial authority over the indigenous peoples of the region. Upon the arrival of the Spanish, conquistador Pedro de Valdivia gave the valley of Puchuncaví to one of his soldiers, the Italian native Milán Vicenzo del Monte, a nephew of Pope Julius II.

His descendants subdivided the lands between their heirs and finally in the 17th century there were several principal owners. On 8 December 1691, the Parrish of Puchuncaví was created by the Chaplain of War during the independence of Chile, Presbyter Juan Manuel Benavides y Mujica, as recorded in the parish archives.

On 6 March 1875, the Villa of Puchuncaví was declared and was on several occasions provincial capital. In the year 1894 the first commune called “Quintero-Puchuncaví” was formed, integrating the two neighboring localities.

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