Rafael is a town in the commune of Tomé, in Concepción Province, in the Biobío Region of Chile. Originally a crossroads on the Camino Real between Concepcion and Chillan and Santiago. It was first the site of a mill on the Pingueral River. On October 24, 1657, Pedro Porter Casanate built a fort San Rafael de Coelemu to protect the Royal roads and secure the Coelemu region from the attacks of the Mapuche.Wikipedia