 It acquired some fame during the Chilean War of Independence, especially in the Siege of Chillan from July 15 to August 12, 1813, after the death in her (May 21 of that year) of the Spanish leader, Antonio Pareja, and it was sacked by the royalist "montoneras" of Pincheira on September 18, 1819.It became the capital of the Chillán Department and after it was ruined in the earthquake of February 20, 1835, most of its population was moved to the northeast to form the present city of Chillán.According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Chillán Viejo spans an area of and has 22,084 inhabitants (10,791 men and 11,293 women).