In order for someone to understand a city or a country, they must start with the basics—their geography. Concepción is known as the 2nd largest city of Chile and the capital of Chile’s Concepción Province (Here’s a map of the city). It was first established in the mid-sixteenth century (1550 to be exact) by Pedro de Valdivia in its first location of the city which is north of the present city Penco near the Bio-Bio River. Valdivia named the city Concepción del Nuevo Extremo. It became the home for the Royal Audiencia and Chancellery between the years 1565 and 1575 which was a very significant government organization during the Spanish colonial era. After the finding of the city, Concepción developed into a major military town for the Kingdom of Chile (present Chile). Concepción politicians and soldiers became an important political force in the newly-independent country.
Concepción was simultaneously destroyed by war, earthquakes, and tsunamis; and after every disaster or event, they rebuilt the city. In 1751, there was a large earthquake that occurred in Concepción. As a result, they had to move the city to Valle de la Mocha (the Valley of Mocha) which is its current location today. As for the old location of Concepción, the city was forbidden to enter until the year 1842. Its current location is on a plain on Bio-Bio River’s northern shore. The current location of Concepción is still common with its natural disasters, considering the latest earthquake that occurred in February 2010.
Concepción’s climate is pretty mild in the summertime. The snow is possible in the wintertime, but it rarely stays on the ground. It reaches up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) in the month of January; also it reaches as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) in the month of July.