Guaraculén

Guaraculén
Region	Maule
Province	Linares
Municipalidad	Villa Alegre
Comuna	Villa Alegre
Government
• Type	Municipalidad
• Alcade	Arturo Palma Vilches
Population  (2002 census [1])
• Total	190
Time zone	UTC−04:00 (Chilean Standard)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−03:00 (Chilean Daylight)
Area code	Country + town = 56 + ?

Guaraculén was a large hacienda and hamlet, located near Villa Alegre, in the current province of Linares, in the Maule Region of Chile. Guaraculén was the birthplace of the famed Jesuit Priest, naturalist and chronicler Juan Ignacio Molina (Abate Molina), who was forced to leave Chile in 1768 when the Jesuits were expelled. Molina later settled in Bologna, Italy where he became professor of natural sciences.