Los Lingues

Los Lingues, also known as Hacienda Los Lingues or Los Lingues Ranch, is a historic estate in Chile’s Central Valley, approximately 78 miles south of Santiago. Although its origins are associated with the colonial history of the region, the property’s contemporary identity is primarily connected with tourism and hospitality. The hacienda receives overnight guests, day visitors, and groups, and provides a setting for private functions and other organized events. The estate’s history reaches back to the end of the sixteenth century, when Don Melchor Jufré del Águila, a Spanish hidalgo from Extremadura and a member of the Santiago elite, established himself in the Santiago Valley. Jufré del Águila served as mayor of Santiago in 1599 and was also known as a writer and chronicler. The Spanish Crown granted him the Estancia de la Angostura in the Central Valley, a holding that forms part of the historical background of Los Lingues. The property later passed to his daughter, Doña Ana María del Águila, who married Don Diego González Montero, governor of Chile from 1662 to 1670. Their descendants included Don José Gregorio Argomedo y Montero del Águila, who was born at the hacienda in 1767. In addition to its heritage and accommodation functions, Los Lingues maintains an equestrian operation. The estate breeds horses of the Aculeo type, linking the property to Chilean rural traditions and long-distance horsemanship. Horses from Los Lingues were used by British adventurer Rosie Swales during her 1984 journey along the length of Chile, later described in her book Back to Cape Horn. The hacienda offers visitors the opportunity to ride comparable horses with a guide, making equestrian tourism part of its visitor proposition. Los Lingues therefore combines several roles: a historic rural estate, a hospitality venue, an events location, and a horse-breeding and riding destination. Its appeal is based less on a mass-market consumer product than on place, heritage, landscape, accommodation, and access to Chilean equestrian culture. The available reference material does not identify a formal corporate owner, founding date for a modern hospitality business, financial results, public listing, or a broader chain of properties.

The historical roots of Los Lingues are tied to the colonial development of Chile’s Central Valley. At the end of the sixteenth century, Don Melchor Jufré del Águila settled in the Valley of Santiago. He was an Extremaduran hidalgo and the son of a knight of the Military Order of Santiago. He later became part of Santiago’s political and intellectual life, serving as mayor of the capital in 1599 and gaining recognition as a writer and chronicler. The Spanish Crown granted him the Estancia de la Angostura, an estate in the Central Valley associated with the later history of Hacienda Los Lingues. The property subsequently passed to his daughter, Doña Ana María del Águila. She married Don Diego González Montero, who served as governor of Chile between 1662 and 1670. Through this family line, Los Lingues became connected with important colonial and early Chilean figures. Don José Gregorio Argomedo y Montero del Águila, a later descendant, was born at the hacienda in 1767. The estate’s modern role differs from that of a purely agricultural hacienda. Los Lingues is currently dedicated to hospitality and receives overnight guests, day visitors, and organized groups. Its historic setting provides the foundation for tourism and events, while its rural character supports equestrian activities. The property operates a horse-breeding farm focused on horses of the Aculeo breed or type, preserving an association with Chilean horse culture. The equestrian dimension gained wider recognition through the 1984 journey of Rosie Swales, who rode the entire length of Chile using horses from Los Lingues. Swales later documented the journey in Back to Cape Horn, published in 1986. The estate now offers guided riding experiences using similar horses, allowing visitors to engage with the same broad tradition of long-distance Chilean horsemanship in a supervised tourism setting. Today, Los Lingues functions as a combined heritage and hospitality destination south of Santiago. Its activities include accommodation, day tourism, group events, and guided horseback riding. The available sources do not establish a precise modern incorporation date, a formal founding year for the hospitality operation, a corporate parent, or a publicly disclosed ownership structure.

• 1986

  Publication of Back to Cape Horn

  [1]Los Linguesen.wikipedia.org

  Rosie Swales’s account of her Chilean journey, including the equestrian connection to Los Lingues, was published in Back to Cape Horn.

• 1984

  Horses used during Rosie Swales’s Chile journey

  [1]Los Linguesen.wikipedia.org

  Horses from Los Lingues were used by Rosie Swales during her ride along the length of Chile.

• 1767

  Birth of José Gregorio Argomedo at the hacienda

  [1]Los Linguesen.wikipedia.org

  Don José Gregorio Argomedo y Montero del Águila, a descendant of the estate’s early family line, was born at Los Lingues.

• 1662

  Family connection to Governor Diego González Montero

  [1]Los Linguesen.wikipedia.org

  Doña Ana María del Águila, who inherited the property, married Don Diego González Montero, governor of Chile from 1662 to 1670.

• 1599

  Melchor Jufré del Águila serves as mayor of Santiago

  [1]Los Linguesen.wikipedia.org

  Melchor Jufré del Águila, associated with the estate’s early history, served as mayor of Santiago.

• Colonial origins of the estate

  [1]Los Linguesen.wikipedia.org

  The historical origins of Los Lingues are traced to the end of the sixteenth century, when Don Melchor Jufré del Águila established himself in the Santiago Valley and received the Estancia de la Angostura in the Central Valley.

A heritage hacienda and rural tourism destination combining historic surroundings, hospitality, group events, and Chilean equestrian experiences.

• Hospitality

  Hacienda accommodation

  Los Lingues offers overnight hospitality within a historic hacienda environment in Chile’s Central Valley. The accommodation proposition is based on the estate’s heritage setting, rural surroundings, and access to the property’s visitor and equestrian activities. The available reference material does not specify room counts, rates, service tiers, or accommodation brands.

• Equestrian tourism

  Guided horseback riding

  The hacienda provides guided riding experiences using horses comparable to those associated with its Aculeo horse-breeding operation. The offering connects visitors with Chilean rural and equestrian traditions while providing a structured way to explore the estate. No detailed itinerary, duration, pricing, or safety specifications are identified in the supplied sources.

• Events and visitor experiences

  Day visits and group events

  Los Lingues is open to day visitors and groups and can host organized events on the historic estate. This broadens the property beyond overnight tourism, allowing it to serve as a venue for gatherings and heritage-oriented visits. The sources do not specify the event types, capacity, pricing, or booking arrangements.

• Horse breeding

  Aculeo horse breeding

  The estate operates a horse-breeding farm associated with the Aculeo breed or type. This activity supports Los Lingues’s equestrian identity and provides the foundation for its riding experiences. The available material does not provide breeding numbers, bloodlines, sales information, or a separate commercial brand name.

1. 1Los Linguesen.wikipedia.org