SERENA, or LA SERENA  , a city of Chile, capital of the province of Coquimbo, on the S. bank of the Coquimbo river about 5 M. from the sea . Pop . (1895) 15,712; (1902, estimate) 19,536 . As the see of a bishop and the most important town politically of the semi-arid region, it contains a number of important public edifices, including a cathedral (1844-i86o; 216 ft. long, 66 ft. wide) built of a light porous stone, an episcopal residence, several convents, a large hospital, an orphans' asylum, a beggars' asylum and a lazaretto . It is the seat of a court of appeal for Atacama and Coquimbo, and has an excellent lyceum and other schools, including a school of mines . It has a good water supply, well-paved streets, gas illumination, tramway service and several small industries, including brewing and the making of fruit conserves . The annual rainfall is only 1.6 in. and its mean annual temperature is 59.2° . Its railway connexions include a line to Coquimbo (9 m.), its port, one to the Tamaya copper mines, and a narrow-gauge line up the valley of the Elqui to Guanta, through a region celebrated for its fruit . It is also in direct railway communication with the national capital . Serena was founded by Juan Bohon in 1544, on the opposite side of the river, and was named after Pedro Valdivia's birth-place in Estremadura, Spain . It was destroyed by the Indians soon after, and was rebuilt on its present site in 1549 by Francisco de Aguirre .