Ocoa, Rural settlement in Quillota Province, Chile

Ocoa is a valley and rural locality in the commune of Hijuelas, Quillota Province, Valparaíso Region, lying south of the Aconcagua River at the foot of the Cordillera de la Costa. The valley covers 166 km² with an average altitude of 300 m. Its settlements include Maitenes de Ocoa, Champa de Ocoa, Villa Prat and Rabuco, and it is drained by the Rabuco stream.

In 1744 the Jesuits bought the Ocoa lands for four thousand pesos of the time and set up a cattle ranch that by 1767 held over two thousand cows and a similar number of sheep. They grew wheat, built a mill near their houses at the foot of La Calavera hill, worked hemp into ropes for ships and cut the Pachacámac path to Pocochay. The estate was confiscated in 1767 during the Suppression of the Society of Jesus.

Agricultural life forms the heart of daily existence in Ocoa, with farming families working land that defines the community's identity. Visitors notice this connection through the fields around settlements and in how locals organize their work around seasonal cycles.

Visit during growing seasons when fields are active and local markets overflow with fresh harvests. Access the area via regional roads that connect to major highways, and plan for a slow-paced rural experience.

Local folklore holds that the Jesuits buried valuables at Ocoa before their 1767 expulsion. One account claims the cache was found but could not be extracted, as the vault resisted dynamite; another says those who search for it are cursed.