[1] When Spanish explorer Diego de Almagro reached the settlement in 1536 it was already inhabited by locals.

However, after the Salomón–Lozano Treaty, the area was ceded to Colombia, with the original inhabitants moving south to Maynas, next to the Napo River, founding another Puerto Arica and Tarapacá.

[5] The area, rich in saltpeter, contributed to the homonymous industry, and was of such importance that, around the 1920s, the province became a space of constant migration with the arrival of foreigners, mostly from Peru, Bolivia, England, Germany, Spain, as well as Croats from Yugoslavia, which increased the population in the area, going from around 54,000 inhabitants in 1885 to over 115,000 in 1920.

Goods were imported from the central zone of Chile and neighboring countries, as well as Europe, North America and Asia.

[6] Because of its historical importance, architectural features and archaeological heritage, the town was declared Zona Típica by the Government of Chile in 1973.