The history of Viña del Mar begins with the arrival of the conquistadors and the division of the Peuco Valley into two large haciendas: the "Seven Sisters", named after the seven hills that are located between Cerro Castillo and Cerro Barón, and "La Viña del Mar", named after the vineyards planted on the land now occupied by the Palacio Rioja. Around 1870, the sole heiress of the lands that gave rise to Viña del Mar was Doña Mercedes Álvarez, married to José Francisco Vergara, an engineer who had come to the region to work on the railway works. It was he who drew up a project, approved on December 29, 1874, through which the city of Viña del Mar was officially founded, and five years later, the Illustrious Municipality.