Villarrica has a population of 45.531 inhabitants, 227 m. of altitude and a surface of 1.291 km2. The lake Mallolafquen - current Villarrica was discovered by Pedro de Valdivia in December of 1551. One year later, Gerónimo de Alderete in La Imperial - current Carahue - to found Villarrica, in the same place where the city is located today.

The objective was to exploit laundries of gold and to consolidate a winter step toward the pampas and the Atlantic.

Villarrica had before its destruction, more than 600 Spaniards, without counting the servants. It also had a church in front of the square and the Franciscan convent. There were a mill and a factory of bricks and tiles. The urban layout went similar to the current one.

After the mapuche rebellion of 1599, the native of the area harassed the city. They cut the communication with La Imperial and Santiago; it was only a sporadic connection with Buenos Aires. The population died little by little by the hunger. After three years, February 7 1602 11 men and 13 women sorrounded. Of these, seven were rescued years later of the captivity; they narrated the fall of Villarrica, the last missing Spanish city to the south of the river Bio Bío.

El 1882, 280 year later, the last parliament was summed up between the mapuches and the Chilean Government in Putué, in the outskirts of the city. There were more than 300 mapuches chief, among them Penchulef, Mister of the plain of Putué; Epulef, Mister of Villarrica and Aquiñanco, gentleman of Ñiquén. It represented the government the General Gregorio Urrutia, to the control of the occupation army. It was interpreter of the famous "lenguaraz" Mere R. The following days, January of 1883, 1º Villarrica was refounded.

Then the supplying trade, the urban service and the colonists arrived. In 1896 the territory was banded» (to build strips or paths in the forest) and they gave the colonization of the Chileans the area around Villarrica, Loncoche and Gorbea. In 1904 the lands were colonized to the north of Villarrica, included the lake Huilipilún. The mapuches was transferred to «reductions» located in the foodhill of Villarrica Volcano, to the north, and to the east of the lake Calafquén.

The presence of a volcano in a perfect way, crowned of eternal snow and reflected in the lake, it was a trigger for the early appearance of the tourist flow. The train arrived to Freire, from there, you advanced 7 hours by horse until Villarrica. In 1914 a couch took the trip and, in 1924, organized tourism already existed: a vehicle connected Freire and Villarrica in 5 hours. The steamship Alessandri took trips to Pucón; there were also walks to the crater of Villarrica Volcano , to the thermal baths of Palguín and Lanín Volcano.

Some landmarks in the tourist development of the area are: the inauguration of the first hotels of Villarrica, in 1923; the opening, in 1933, the train of Loncoche to the dock of the lake, and the steamship "Mrs. Rosa" , for 200 passengers.