Ever since it was discovered by the indigenous moluches, who occupied the lands from Copiapó to Chiloé, the cove was inhabited, as the waters there were very tranquil. Its name comes from these times, as ‘Coquimbo’ in the indigenous language means ‘place of tranquil waters’.

Many of the great colonizers, such as Pedro de Valdivia and Juan Bohón (founder of La Serena) saw this place as ideal for the construction of a port.

At the beginning of the 19th Century, Coquimbo was just a settlement for fishermen. After the establishment of copper smelting and the arrival of the railway, putting the mines in contact with the sea, the city and its population began to grow in size until in 1850, during the government of Manuel Bulnes, its plans were definitively approved and, by the law of 28 September 1864, under the administration of José Joaquín Pérez, the region of Coquimbo was created, whose first governor was Francisco Antonio Varela. During the government of Aníbal Pinto it was granted the title of City.