Osorno Valley
Osorno Valley corresponds to the homonymous commune which is the capital of the Osorno Province, which belongs to the Austral Viticultural Region. At the Osorno Valley there is the confluence of Rahue and Damas Rivers. Osorno is one out of the three valleys which do not have indigenous names.
The Osorno Valley corresponds to the homonymous commune in southern Chile where it is the city of the same name which is the capital of the Osorno Province in the political region of Los Lagos. The Osorno Valley corresponds to the Austral Viticultural Region. The city of Osorno is located 945 kilometres south of the national capital of Santiago, and 105 kilometres north of the regional capital of Puerto Montt. At the Osorno Valley there is the confluence of Rahue and Damas Rivers. The city of Osorno is the main service centre of agriculture and cattle farming in the northern Los Lagos Region. In spite of an early, meanwhile small, Irish immigration the city’s cultural heritage is shaped mainly by Spanish, Huilliche (native indigenous people) and German influences.
The city was originally founded by the governor, García Hurtado de Mendoza on March 27, 1558, with the name of Villa de San Mateo de Osorno, in honour of García Hurtado’s grandfather, the Count of Osorno, province of Palencia in Spain. It was destroyed by the indigenous Huilliche people in October 1602. On November 22, 1792, Tomás de Figueroa took possession of the ruins under the orders of Ambrose Bernard O’Higgins (Ambrós Ó hUiginn, in Irish), a member of the O’Higgins family and an Irish-born Spanish colonial administrator. He served the Spanish Empire as captain general (i.e., military governor) of Chile (1788–1796) and viceroy of Peru (1796–1801). Osorno was rebuilt by John Mackenna (Seán Mac Cionath, in Irish) and declared officially re-populated in 1796. In addition to his numerous duties John Mackenna was also tutor of the illegitimate son of his superior and friend Ambrose: Bernardo O’Higgins the future Chilean independence leader whose father only recognized him in his late will. The first European settlers in Osorno, in addition to the Spanish soldiers and colons, were Irish immigrants running away from one out of several failed rebellions against England in 1798, 15 of them arrived in September [1] and other 11 in November.[2] The Irish immigrants increase the number of artisans of the nascent city; they were the carpenters, blacksmiths, tailors, shoemakers and other artisans. Meanwhile Osorno owes its legacy to fairly recent Chilean settlement, when the government subdued the region’s indigenous Mapuche people in the mid-19th century and opened the land to Chilean and European immigration soon to follow. A large percentage of locals in Osorno are descendants of European immigrants, amongst them German settlers. The origin of the German immigrants in Chile began with the Law of Selective Immigration of 1845. The objective of this law was to bring people of a medium social/high cultural level to colonize the southern regions of Chile. The German settlers found Osorno’s climate and geography to be very similar to their own homeland. With their help, Osorno was made the home of the National Cattle ranch of Chile, boosting the regional economy significantly. Present-day Osorno has preserved 19th century architecture and urban layout, represented by six picturesque houses which have been designated national monuments.
[1] In September 1798, 15 Irish immigrants arrived to Osorno. They were Thomas Robertson, John Knight, Charles Bider, Robert O’Keefe, Charles Beaver; John Green, James Glover, John Titson, John Hornsby; John Waterson, John Webb; Daniel Cloghan; Peter Smith; James Wakeman, John Jervis. [Archivo Nacional. Vol. 225, F. 221]
[2] In November 1798, 11 Irish immigrants arrived to Osorno. They were Thomas Sullivan; Charles Badder; Richard Mills; George Johnson; William Connolly; William Waito; William Neal; John Nelegan; Henry Graham; Thomas O’Donovan y Abraham Thorn [Sánchez Aguilera 1948: 102-103].
Soils
The geologic variety and diverse origin of surface sediments cause the soils of Chile to vary greatly in character from north to south. In the northern desert region saline soils, made up of gravel and sand cemented with calcium sulfate, alternate with alkali-rich soils, which are difficult to cultivate even with irrigation because of their surface salt accumulations. In river oases salinity also becomes a limiting factor for agriculture. In the transverse valleys of north-central Chile, fertile alluvial soils have developed on fluvial deposits, while between the rivers soils are dry and infertile.
Climate
Osorno is located within the Austral Viticultural Region, between 38º 30′ to 40º south, in an area of temperate rainforest. It rains around 3,000 mm annually. The climate is cold most of the time due to the effects of the Pacific Ocean. The temperature rarely drops below zero, but can be cool and moist. Summers (December to February) are sunny and warm (18ºC – 30ºC). Southern Chile features a temperate rainy climate on the coast and inland areas, with frequent precipitation and temperate-to-cool temperatures. It’s a transitional climate between the Central Region and the Patagonia. The cold temperatures increases towards south, as does the humidity, due to the proximity of the Pacific Ocean (maritime climate). Osorno is a rainy city, with an even more pronounced Mediterranean climate. Due south, Chiloé is home to areas that receive more than 4,000 mm of precipitation a year. The mountain region features very low temperatures and receives abundant snowfall in the winter.