Chanco

Chanco is a name traditionally assigned to an Indian who is said to have warned a Jamestown colonist, Richard Pace, about an impending Powhatan attack in 1622. This article discusses how the Indian came to be known as Chanco. For a discussion of the various accounts of the Indian's warning, and its consequences for Jamestown, see the entry for Richard Pace.

Unnamed Indian

The Indian's warning to Richard Pace is described in the London Company's official account of the 1622 attack, but the Indian is not named. He is described only as a converted Indian "belonging to one Perry":

The account later makes reference to other Indians who warned settlers of the impending attack:

None of the Indians who gave warnings are named.

Indian Named Chauco

An Indian named Chauco is mentioned in a letter from the Council in Virginia to the Virginia Company of London, dated April 4, 1623:

"Chauco" misread as "Chanco"

In 1740, William Stith published his History of the first discovery and settlement of Virginia. According to a description of the book on the Library of Congress website, ""William Stith compiled this detailed factual history of Virginia by culling material from the Records of the Virginia Company, a manuscript archive that Jefferson later owned and used in his own work." The archive was subsequently acquired by the Library of Congress and is now available online

Chanco cheese

Chanco is Chilean cow's milk cheese originally from the Chanco farm in Maule Region. Now it is produced all over south-central Chile, and represents almost 50% of Chilean cheese consumption. It is a semi-hard ripened cheese with reduced lactose content and soft consistency.

References

www.fao.org

Chanco, Chile

Chanco is a Chilean commune located in Cauquenes Province, Maule Region.

Geography

Chanco is bordered on the north by Constitución and Empedrado (both in Talca Province); on the south by Pelluhue; on the east by Cauquenes, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The area of the municipality is 529.5 km² (204 sq mi).

Demography

According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Chanco has 9,457 inhabitants (4,856 men and 4,601 women). Of these, 4,012 (42.4%) lived in urban areas and 5,445 (57.6%) in rural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population fell by 0.4% (35 persons).

History

Chanco was founded on 1889 in an old settlement populated by the indigenous people known as promaucaes. Chanco had begun as a seaside settlement. However, in the 19th century the coastal dunes advanced eastward and buried the old village and the surrounding crops. At the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the efforts of the German botanist and naturalist Federico Albert the town was saved from being buried again, when Albert started a large-scale project by planting an extense forest west to Chanco and relocating the town eastwards. The forest would be declared a national reserve in 1979 and today it constitutes a frequented touristic attraction in the province of Cauquenes.