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Special report · People

Notable people of Linares: authorities and famous locals

Linares gave Chile a president, one of its greatest folklorists and Colo-Colo champions. Here are the authorities who represent the city today and the people who put Linares on the map, with photos and videos.

people in this report
29people in this report
authorities in office (2026)
13authorities in office (2026)
videos to watch
8videos to watch
Collage of notable people of Linares: authorities, President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo and Margot Loyola

Authorities of Linares in 2026

Who governs and represents Linares today: city hall, regional government, presidential delegations, the Senate (Maule Region) and deputies for district 18.

  • Mario Meza Vásquez — Mayor of Linares

    Mario Meza Vásquez

    Mayor of Linares

    Mayor of Linares since December 2016 and a member of Renovación Nacional. He heads the Municipality and chairs the city council, which is responsible for everyday services such as waste collection, traffic, primary healthcare and municipal schools.

    Official site
  • Cristián González — Provincial presidential delegate of Linares

    Cristián González

    Provincial presidential delegate of Linares

    He took office in March 2026 as the national government's representative in the province. His office coordinates public safety, the response to emergencies such as wildfires and storms, and the work of public services in the eight municipalities of Linares province.

    Official site
  • Pedro Pablo Álvarez-Salamanca — Regional governor of Maule

    Pedro Pablo Álvarez-Salamanca

    Regional governor of Maule

    Businessman born in Talca in 1976, UDI member and former deputy. Regional governor since 2025, he manages Maule's investment budget and decides which projects are funded in its 30 municipalities, Linares included.

    Official site
  • Juan Eduardo Prieto — Regional presidential delegate of Maule

    Juan Eduardo Prieto

    Regional presidential delegate of Maule

    Engineer born in 1984. Since March 2026 he has been President José Antonio Kast's direct representative in the region. He is no stranger to the job: he held it in 2021–2022 under Sebastián Piñera.

    Official site
  • Paulina Vodanovic — Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Paulina Vodanovic

    Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Lawyer born in 1971 and president of the Socialist Party since 2022. She entered the Senate in 2023 to complete Álvaro Elizalde's term, and in 2025 Maule voters elected her for a full term through 2034.

  • Cristián Vial — Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Cristián Vial

    Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Retired Army general born in 1971. After his military career he entered politics as an independent on the Republican Party list and was elected senator for the Maule Region in 2025.

  • Ignacio Urrutia — Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Ignacio Urrutia

    Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Businessman and one of the best-known faces in Maule politics. He served as a deputy for two decades (2002–2022), latterly for district 18, which includes Linares. Today he represents the whole region in the Senate for the Republican Party.

  • Beatriz Sánchez — Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Beatriz Sánchez

    Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Journalist who hosted current-affairs programmes on radio and TV for years. She was Frente Amplio's presidential candidate in 2017 and in 2025 ran in Maule, where she was elected senator.

  • Andrea Balladares — Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Andrea Balladares

    Senator for Maule (2026–2034)

    Sociologist born in Chanco, on the Maule coast, in 1987. She chairs Renovación Nacional and was undersecretary of Social Services in 2021–2022. Since March 2026 she has been senator for her home region.

  • Consuelo Veloso — Deputy, district 18 (Linares)

    Consuelo Veloso

    Deputy, district 18 (Linares)

    Born in Cauquenes in 1994, she became known as an environmental activist. She entered Congress in 2022 and was re-elected in 2025 with the highest vote in district 18, which groups Linares, Cauquenes, Parral, San Javier and other southern Maule municipalities.

    BCN profile
  • Rodrigo Ramírez Parra — Deputy, district 18 (Linares)

    Rodrigo Ramírez Parra

    Deputy, district 18 (Linares)

    Technical draftsman born in Retiro in 1969. He was a councillor and then mayor of Retiro for twelve years (2012–2024). Since March 2026 he has been an independent deputy in the Renovación Nacional caucus.

    BCN profile
  • Daniel Bustos Leal — Deputy, district 18 (Linares)

    Daniel Bustos Leal

    Deputy, district 18 (Linares)

    Tourism entrepreneur from Curanipe, on the Pelluhue coast, born in 1981. He was a regional councillor for Cauquenes province and was elected deputy for the Republican Party in 2025.

    BCN profile
  • Cristián Menchaca — Deputy, district 18 (Linares)

    Cristián Menchaca

    Deputy, district 18 (Linares)

    Farmer born in Linares in 1963 with a long local career: councillor, four-time mayor of Longaví and regional councillor. Deputy for district 18 since March 2026.

    BCN profile

History and politics

People from Linares who reached the Presidency, the rectorship of the University of Chile, Congress and the country's history books.

  • Carlos Ibáñez del Campo — President of Chile (1927–1931 and 1952–1958)1877–1960

    Carlos Ibáñez del Campo

    President of Chile (1927–1931 and 1952–1958)

    The most influential person ever born in Linares. Born on 3 November 1877, he rose through the Army and ruled Chile twice: from 1927 to 1931 as an authoritarian leader, and from 1952 to 1958 after winning at the polls with a broom as his campaign symbol. Linares' Avenida Presidente Ibáñez bears his name.

  • Valentín Letelier — Rector of the University of Chile (1906–1913)1852–1919

    Valentín Letelier

    Rector of the University of Chile (1906–1913)

    Born in Linares in 1852, he was a lawyer, teacher and Radical Party deputy. He is remembered as one of the great thinkers of Chilean public education and led the University of Chile from 1906 to 1913.

  • Aída Parada — Educator and feminist pioneer1903–1983

    Aída Parada

    Educator and feminist pioneer

    Teacher born in Linares in 1903. She co-founded MEMCH, the movement that fought for women's right to vote in Chile, and was Chile's first delegate to the OAS Inter-American Commission of Women.

  • Pedro Pablo Dartnell — Army officer, member of the 1925 Government Junta1874–1944

    Pedro Pablo Dartnell

    Army officer, member of the 1925 Government Junta

    Born in Linares in 1874, he became Inspector General of the Army in 1924 and sat on the Government Junta that ran the country in 1925, one of the most turbulent years in Chilean politics.

  • Manuel Astica Fuentes — Sailor, union leader and writer1906–1996

    Manuel Astica Fuentes

    Sailor, union leader and writer

    Born in Linares in 1906, he was a sailor, union leader, journalist and writer. Today the Linares Film Club, which brings the community together around good cinema, bears his name.

  • Fanny Pollarolo — Psychiatrist and former deputy

    Fanny Pollarolo

    Psychiatrist and former deputy

    Born in Linares in 1935, she devoted her life to mental health and politics. She was deputy for Calama, Tocopilla and other northern municipalities from 1994 to 2002.

Culture and the arts

Music, literature and acting: Margot Loyola's folklore, the Nobel laureate born in Parral (Linares province) and today's artists.

  • Margot Loyola — Folklorist, National Music Award 19941918–2015

    Margot Loyola

    Folklorist, National Music Award 1994

    The grande dame of Chilean folklore was born in Linares in 1918. She travelled the country collecting songs, dances and rural traditions, and with Violeta Parra and Gabriela Pizarro she is one of the three essential researchers of Chilean folklore. A Linares school bears her name.

  • Pablo Neruda — Poet, Nobel Prize in Literature 19711904–1973

    Pablo Neruda

    Poet, Nobel Prize in Literature 1971

    Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes was born in Parral, in Linares province, on 12 July 1904. As Pablo Neruda he wrote Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair and Canto General, and won the Nobel Prize in 1971. He was also a senator and ambassador.

  • Ana María Güiraldes — Children's and young adult author

    Ana María Güiraldes

    Children's and young adult author

    Born in Linares in 1946, she has devoted her work to children and young readers. Her stories and novels are regular reading in schools across Chile.

  • Paz Court — Singer and songwriter

    Paz Court

    Singer and songwriter

    Born in Linares in 1985. She cut her teeth in jazz with groups such as Jazzimodo and Tunacola and then built a solo career between jazz and pop; her first album, Cómeme, came out in 2014.

  • Jaime Artus — Actor and YouTuber

    Jaime Artus

    Actor and YouTuber

    Actor born in Linares in 1986. He has worked in film, theatre and television, and has also won his own audience as a YouTuber.

TV, media, science and society

Journalists, TV personalities and researchers born in Linares.

  • Bárbara Rebolledo — Journalist and TV host

    Bárbara Rebolledo

    Journalist and TV host

    Journalist born in Linares in 1973 and a familiar TV face since the 1990s. In 2021 she moved into politics, elected to the Constitutional Convention for district 17 with the second-highest vote in the region.

  • Jorge Said — Journalist and war correspondent

    Jorge Said

    Journalist and war correspondent

    Born in Linares in 1965, of Palestinian descent and with Chilean and US nationality. He has worked as a war correspondent, reporting from international conflict zones.

  • Marcela Vidal — Scientist, reptile expert

    Marcela Vidal

    Scientist, reptile expert

    Born in Linares in 1974, she is one of Chile's leading reptile experts. She is a full professor at Universidad del Bío-Bío, where she was academic director, and co-edited the book Herpetología de Chile.

  • Tomás Jordán — Lawyer and political scientist

    Tomás Jordán

    Lawyer and political scientist

    Academic born in Linares in 1974. In 2023 he sat on the Technical Admissibility Committee, the arbitration body of that year's constitutional process.

Sports

The Linares native who was a Colo-Colo idol in the 1930s and 40s.

  • Enrique Sorrel — Footballer, Colo-Colo legend1912–1991

    Enrique Sorrel

    Footballer, Colo-Colo legend

    Born in Linares in 1912, he was one of Colo-Colo's first idols. Nicknamed the "Tiger", he played right wing in an unmistakable white cap. He won the league as a player in 1937, 1939, 1941 and 1944, and as coach in 1947.

Videos about people from Linares

Documentaries, interviews and music (in Spanish). Videos only load when you click.

Is someone missing?

This report will keep growing. If you know a notable person from Linares or an authority has changed, write to informaciones@linaresconecta.cl and we'll add it.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the mayor of Linares?

Mario Meza Vásquez (Renovación Nacional), mayor since December 2016.

Which Chilean president was born in Linares?

Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, born in Linares on 3 November 1877. He governed in 1927–1931 and 1952–1958.

Who are the deputies for Linares?

Linares belongs to district 18. For 2026–2030 its deputies are Consuelo Veloso, Rodrigo Ramírez Parra, Daniel Bustos and Cristián Menchaca.

Who are the senators for Maule?

For 2026–2034: Paulina Vodanovic, Cristián Vial, Ignacio Urrutia, Beatriz Sánchez and Andrea Balladares.

Was Pablo Neruda from Linares?

He was born in Parral, a municipality in Linares province, on 12 July 1904.

More about Linares

Photo credits

Sources: National Congress Library (BCN), Chamber of Deputies, Senate, Electoral Qualifying Court, Linares Provincial Presidential Delegation and Maule Regional Government. Texts written by Linares Conecta.

Updated 18 October 2026.

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