According to the 2002 census of the Chilean National Statistics Institute, Navidad spans an area of 300.4 km2 (116 sq mi) and has 5,422 inhabitants (2,878 men and 2,544 women).

The French scientist and painter Claudio Gay was also commissioned by the Chilean government to study the area, as was the German geologist Rodolfo Philippi.

In 1585, the Franciscan friar Diego de Medellín, third bishop of Santiago, was concerned about the local people and wrote to the King of Spain about Navidad, Rapel, Matanzas and other settlements in the area, providing proof of the early origins of the name.

As a commune, Navidad is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council and led by an alcalde, who is directly elected every four years.

[7] Navidad has a strong farming tradition, and one interesting activity that can be observed here is the (Trilla a yegua suelta) festival, where mares are driven loose over harvested wheat to separate the grain from the chaff.