Unlocking Community Spirit: El Teniente Throws Open Doors to Casa 100 and Población Central in Coya

This Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, September 29, between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm, the Codelco El Teniente Department invites the whole community to visit Casa 100, the Central Town and its facilities, such as the Electrical Museum, the Palitroque and the School of Goldsmithing.

The initiative is free and seeks to share with the community and educate new generations about the history of mining in Chile and the life of the first families who populated the foothills of the Andes, producing development and prosperity through the exploitation of the resource.

Since Codelco launched the heritage visits program for the last weekends of each month, starting last June, more than 3,500 people from different communities in the O’Higgins region have visited the historic facilities maintained by the Corporation at the foot .

To participate in the heritage tours, arrive at the entrance to the town of Coya (volume letter sector) and go to Casa 100 where registration for the guided tours takes place every 30 minutes. Free transport will be available on site to transport visitors to and from the Town Centre. The activity is coordinated by the Sewell Foundation and will be repeated on the last weekend of each month.

For those traveling from Rancagua to the foothills, public transport will be available from the Rancagua Rodovirio with departures to Coya at the following times:

• Saturday, September 28: 08:00 – 10:00 – 12:00 – 14:00
• Sunday, September 29:09:00 – 11:00 – 13:00

History of heritage

Casa 100 was built in 1927, designed as the home of the company’s general manager, William Braden, who settled in the area, looking for a friendlier climate than Sewell to settle with his family. The house reflects the style of the mansions in the South Central United States at the beginning of the 20th century.

Its name is due to the numbering that the American company used to organize its plans and the assignment to the corresponding building. The wood that stands out most in its construction is American Oregon pine and its area is 630 square meters built.

Along with this, visitors will be able to take a tour of the Central Town, a group of houses and buildings where executives and employees of the American company settled at the time. There are recreational areas such as the Palitroque building, which is recognized as the first place to play bowling in the country and more recently Ysgol y Govaint Aur, where local entrepreneurs are trained and educated weekly in metalwork for the production of jewelery pieces and other decorative elements.