Timaukel is a commune in the southern region of Chile, located in the province of Tierra del Fuego, it is part of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region. The name “Timaukel” comes from the indigenous word Temáukel, which means “Supreme Maker” in the Selk’nam language, and refers to the main deity of said culture. The territory of Timaukel was inhabited since pre-Columbian times by the Selk’nam people, who used its grasslands as a hunting ground for guanacos. The Europeans arrived in the second half of the 19th century and they developed livestock farming. Timaukel covers an area of 12,850 km² and has a population of 405 inhabitants. Its capital is Villa Cameron, however, due to the growth of its population, it will be gradually moved to Pampa Guanaco, next to Lake Blanco, which goes into the pampas and passes through different “Sections” and sheep “Posts” of the old ranch. Near the Russfin Section is the gold dredge that was brought from England in 1904 and operated until 1910, which was declared a National Monument in 1976. Continuing towards the south are the facilities of the Río Grande Section – old ranches formed the current Estancia Cameron- and the ranches Onamonte, Vicuña, Río Chico, Las Flores and many more. The commune comprises a landscape that alternates the Magellanic pampa with primary lenga forests and mixed Magallanes lenga-coigüe forests and a significant population of guanacos lives. It also houses other ecosystems such as peat bogs, Andean areas, Patagonian steppe, scrublands, and coast, all representative of southern biodiversity, which have local and global importance for conservation. The old sawmills of Puerto Yartou, were founded in 1908. Río Cóndor, famous for its sport fishing and Puerto Arturo, a former logging factory owned by the Karukinka Natural Park. Following the lake area, where Lake Lynch, Lake Escondido, Lake Blanco and Lake Fagnano (Kami) stand out, where birds and guanacos live. Lake Fagnano ends in the mountainous area of the Darwin mountain range, full of vegetation, south of Seno Almirantazgo with numerous fjords, channels and glaciers, highlighting the summits of Mount Darwin and Mount Sarmiento and the Marinelli and Brookes glaciers. Amazing journey for nature lovers!
