Talagante


Talagante is a commune and the capital city of the province of the same name in the Santiago Metropolitan Region of central Chile. The word Talagante in Quechua comes from talacanta, meaning "Lazo de Hechicero", which was the proper name of the curaca, or ruler, who dominated this central valley on behalf of the Inca empire during the arrival of the Spaniards.

Geography

Talagante can be found in the Chilean Central Valley at an elevation of, to the southwest of the national capital of Santiago. The commune spans an area of.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Talagante spans an area of and has 59,805 inhabitants. Of these, 49,957 lived in urban areas and 9,848 in rural areas. The population grew by 132800% between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Talagante is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2012-2016 alcalde is Raúl Leiva Carvajal, and his council members are:
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Talagante is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Denise Pascal and Gonzalo Uriarte as part of the 31st electoral district,. The commune is represented in the Senate by Guido Girardi Lavín and Jovino Novoa Vásquez as part of the 7th senatorial constituency. All of these have been owned by the mayor Emmanuel Acuna.