Mina Chiflón del Diablo

Useful Information

Location:	El Morro S/N, Lota, Región del Biobío. (-37.0761630, -73.1610240)
Open:	Mina Chiflón del Diablo: All year Tue-Sun 10, 12, 14, 16. Arrive 30 minutes earlier. Museo Histórico de Lota: All year Tue-Sun 11-17. [2024]
Fee:	Mina Chiflón del Diablo: Adults CLP 10,000, Children (7-17) CLP 5,000, Students (-26) CLP 5,000, Seniors (65+) CLP 5,000, Lotinos Residents CLP 5,000. Museo Histórico de Lota: Adults CLP 1,000, Children (7-17) CLP 500, Students (-26) CLP 500, Seniors (65+) CLP 500, Lotinos Residents CLP 500. Tickets must be paid by bank transfer. The bank transfer must be made immediately before the tour. [2024]
Classification:	Kohle
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	Mina Chiflón del Diablo: MinAge=7. Museo Histórico de Lota: self guided, D=30 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Mina Chiflón del Diablo, El Morro S/N, Lota, Región del Biobío, Tel: +56-. E-mail: Lota Historical Museum, Av. El Parque No. 21 Lota Alto, Lota.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Geology

Description

The Mina Chiflón del Diablo (Devil's Whistle Mine) is a show mine and one of the main tourist sites of the village Lota. It is a former coal mine which was the economic backbone for the city for a long time, but it was also the doom of miners who got sick from the dust, and the reason for fights between miners and the mining company. The mine is part of the Circuito Patrimonial Lota (Lota Heritage Circuit) which consists of four more or less mining related sites, Parque Isidora Cousiño (Isidora Cousiño Park), Mina Chiflón del Diablo (Devil's Whistle Mine), Museo Histórico de Lota (Lota Historical Museum), and the Pueblito Minero (Mining Town). These sites have been managed by the CEPAS Foundation since December 2023.

This is actually a show mine with an underground tour, this is quite rare in Chile were most show mines are actually mining museums. And it is especially rare among coal mines, which are normally filled in for security reasons, when mining ends. Quite spectacular is the entrance to the mine, a long staircase which leads down into the mine beneath the steep railroad tracks of a funicular. The mine extends below the sea, and it is said to be the only naturally ventilated mine in the world open to the public. The tours are guided by former miners. Visitors are equipped with helmets and headlamps, good walking shoes are essential. The minimum age for the tour is 7, also people with disabilities and elderly people which are not physically fit enough should skip this tour. The mine is dark, the floor uneven, and it is necessary to stoop.

The coal mine is completed by the mining museum Museo Histórico de Lota (Lota Historical Museum), which is nearby. It is also known as (Cousiño Museum) after Isadora Cousiño. The tour is guided by Isadora Cousiño herself, played by an actress who explains each room of the museum. All the buildings are located at the Lota Park. This park was designed between 1862 and 1872 in French style, as a gift from Luis Cousiño to his wife Isadora Goyenechea. After his death in 1873, she managed the park until her own death in 1898. Their son, Carlos Cousiño, took charge of the place and asked Eduardo Ferhman, a French architect, to build a palace. After his death, he was buried in the park. It was sold to the Lota coal company in 1929, who opened it to the public. During the 1960 earthquake, the palace was unfortunately destroyed.