Although Curanipe is the municipal seat, Pelluhue has a greater population, both permanent and seasonal. According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Pelluhue spans an area of 371.4 km2 (143 sq mi) and has 6,414 inhabitants (3,408 men and 3,006 women). Of these, 3,877 (60.4%) lived in urban areas and 2,537 (39.6%) in rural areas. Because of its appeal as a tourism and retirement center,[citation needed] Pelluhue has been steadily growing over the last two decades. Its population increase rate has been one of the highest in the Maule Region, growing by 17.2% (943 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.[2]
Curanipe has a more "patrician" past, having been already a well-known and secluded coastal resort for the Cauquenes elite and a proud "minor port", in the mid- and late 19th century and early 20th century. Both Pelluhue and Curanipe were part of the municipality of Chanco until 1979. The municipality and commune (Spanish:comuna) of Pelluhue was officially created on October 26, 1979, when both towns, together with their adjacent territories, formed a new municipality.
The Curanipe parish church of Santo Toribio is a preserved religious building overlooking the town.
In the southernmost corner of the municipality, which borders the Bío Bío Region, lies the semi-isolated beach of Tregualemu, next to which there are two old, large rural houses of Chileancolonial style.
Los Ruiles National Reserve is a nature reserve at the eastern edge of the municipality, located in the foothills of the Chilean Coast Range (Cordillera de la Costa). A small oasis next to the road that connects Chanco and Cauquenes, the park contains many native species of trees and plants. Several of them are unique to the region and some are in danger of extinction. The reserve has a surface of 29 hectares. There is a reception area, several picnic tables and two footpaths.
Earthquake
On February 27, 2010, Pelluhue and Curanipe were partially destroyed by an earthquake measuring 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, and its associated tsunami[5][6] that left 60 ft fishing vessels in the streets, the towns "covered in mud" and hundreds of homes "completely gone", as reported by the press. Scores of bodies have been found in the area and an estimated 300 homes were destroyed in Pelluhue alone. The commune of Pelluhue lies close to the town of Cobquecura, the reported epicenter of the earthquake.
