The city was founded in 1692 by Tomás Marín de Poveda and refounded as '' ' Villa San Agustín de Talca ' '' in 1742 by José Antonio Manso de Velasco . It was partially destroyed by the 1928 Talca earthquake and the 2010 Chile earthquake , being rebuilt both times . It sits near the epicenter of the 2010 , magnitude 8.8 earthquake and suffered severe shaking causing the collapse of much of the historic town centre . The city played a role in Chile 's independence . Here , Bernardo O'Higgins signed the Chilean independence declaration in 1818
2010 Chile earthquake
2010 Chile earthquake
Talca