La Calera, Industrial city in Quillota Province, Chile
La Calera is a city in Quillota Province situated in the Aconcagua River Valley, positioned inland from the coastal region. The city center contains shopping plazas, supermarket chains, and retail shops that serve as the main gathering point for daily commerce.
The settlement began in 1628 as a Jesuit property and remained under their administration for over a century until Spanish royal decree expelled them in the late 1700s. This transition shifted local control and began a new period of development.
The town brings together people of Spanish heritage alongside communities from the Mediterranean region, creating a diverse social fabric visible in everyday commerce and local gatherings. This blend of backgrounds shapes how neighbors interact and how businesses operate throughout the city center.
The main shopping and service facilities are clustered in the city center, making it easy to explore on foot without needing transport between shops. Visiting during daytime hours will give you the fullest sense of how the commercial hub operates and how locals move through the spaces.
The city's name comes from limestone extraction, as nearby hills provided raw materials for quicklime production that became the region's first major industry. This legacy of resource-based development shaped how the town grew from a rural settlement into a commercial center.
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