Maipú, founded on February 16, 1821, is a municipality ("comuna") of Chile located in the southwest of the province of Santiago, in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. The area has an historical importance because it was the place of the Battle of Maipú (April 5, 1818), where Chile's independence was consolidated. It is also the place of the Maipú Votive Temple , a majestic architectonic construction made to honor to the Virgen del Carmen . Maipú has an area of 133 km² and a population of 468,390 (2002 census). Inhabitants are mostly middle class, with an average household income of $18,429 in PPP US dollars (2000).