Chillan

Of all the towns on the Panamericana between Santiago and Temuco , Chillan most deserves a stopover. Today's Chillan consists of two cities: Chillan Viejo, the birthplace of Bernardo O'Higgins, was crippled by Mapuche sieges and earthquakes. As a consequence, Chillan Nuevo was built in 1835, but another quake in 1939 destroyed that city. Today, the new city is an organized grid of modern buildings and has a vibrant market.