San Juan Bautista | |
|---|---|
.jpg) San Juan Bautista, looking south, as viewed from Cumberland Bay (04/2005). | |
  San Juan Bautista | |
| Coordinates: 33°38′S 78°50′W / 33.633°S 78.833°W | |
| Country | Chile |
| Region | Valparaíso |
| Province | Valparaíso |
| Commune | Juan Fernández |
| Founded | 1877 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| Elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2012 census[1]) | |
| • Total | 800 |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (Chilean Standard) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3 (Chilean Daylight) |
| Area code | 56 + 9 |
| Climate | Cfa |
San Juan Bautista is the main town on Robinson Crusoe Island, part of the Juan Fernández Islands, Valparaíso Province, Chile, and is the primary human settlement within the island chain. Some sources say the town was founded in 1877, while others give an earlier date of 1750. It is located at Cumberland Bay, on the central northeastern coast. Ship Logs from American whalers in report transporting prospective colonists and their baggage to the Island on June 19th, 1844.[2]
Although the community maintains a "rustic" serenity, and is largely dependent on the spiny lobster trade, residents do use vehicles, maintain a satellite internet connection, and own television sets. At the 2012 census, the town had a population of 800 people, living in an area of 0.31 km2 (0.12 sq mi).
There is a football pitch at the north end of the village, near the Dresden School—named after the German light cruiser SMS Dresden, sunk there during World War I; the street it is located on bears the name Dresden, as well. The names of other (generally unpaved) streets in the village include Larraín Alcalde, Ignacio Carrera Pinto, El Sándalo, Vicente González, Teniente Cortés, and La Pólvora.
Overlooking San Juan Bautista are Las Cuevas de los Patriotas (the patriots' caves), where 42 Chilean creole independence activists lived in-exile, as ordered by the Spanish authorities, after the Battle of Rancagua (October 1814). The exiles included historical icons such as Juan Egaña and Manuel de Salas.
