Placilla is a Chilean town and commune in Colchagua Province, O'Higgins Region.

Demographics

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Placilla spans an area of 146.9 km (57 sq mi) and has 8,078 inhabitants (4,134 men and 3,944 women). Of these, 2,114 (26.2%) lived in urban areas and 5,964 (73.8%) in rural areas. The population grew by 3.6% (279 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.

Administration

As a commune, Placilla is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years. The 2012–2016 mayor was José Joaquín Latorre Muñoz (PDC); Latorre, however, died as a consequence of a car crash on 22 July 2013. Latorre had previously held the mayoral office between 1992 and 2008. He was succeeded by Tulio Contreras Álvarez, a member of the local council, who has been reelected until 2024. He died in 2022, during his third term as mayor of Placilla, and was succeeded by Marcelo González, also a Christian Democrat.