This morning we headed south along the coastal road to Lota, a mining town whose colliery closed in 1997. As ever the hardest part was getting out of town. We found signs for Lota but then they disappeared. Nevertheless we got there.
The town looked very poor. There was a beach with some rides and a few restaurants but we had come to visit the mine. It was down near the coast, but as it is mainly a drift there were no colliery headstocks that could be seen.
We were kitted out with lamps and helmets and taken on tour by a chap who said he had worked 20 years in the mine. After going down some steps we were taken to the cage and descended in darkness 30 metres. The mine was low and lined with wooden props. There were explanations on how coal was formed, the dangers of gas and the plight of the children who used to have to open the doorways for the tubs. The miner explained that children were tethered to their stations to stop them getting disorientated and lost in the absolute darkness off the labyrinthine pit.
The guide was particularly attentive to us as we explained where we came from and the social problems pit closures had caused in Britain.
In one part of the mine the way was through water. It seemed strange to think we were not only below ground but under the sea in an area particularly renowned for earthquakes and tsunamis.
After squatting our way through a particularly low section of ceiling we walked back up the drift to daylight.
Back in Concepcion, the streets were busy. On the main square there were statues to Pedro de Valdivia and Lautoro, who killed him - in diametrically opposed corners.
Though there were places to eat, most offered pizza and pasta so we opted to eat Mexican at the flat.