It was founded on 16 February 1821 and it is the place of the Battle of Maipú (5 April 1818), where Chile's independence was consolidated.

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Maipú spans an area of 133 km2 (51 sq mi) and has 479,911 inhabitants (233,000 men and 247,000 women).

[3] As a commune, Maipú is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years.

[9][10] The communal council had the following members: Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Maipú is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Pepe Auth (PPD) and Mónica Zalaquett (UDI) as part of the 20th electoral district, which consists entirely of the Santiago commune.

The commune is represented in the Senate by Guido Girardi Lavín (PPD) and Jovino Novoa Vásquez (UDI) as part of the 7th senatorial constituency (Santiago-West).