The Maule Cohort (MAUCO) is the first prospective population-based cohort of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer in central Chile. The rationale for this cohort is based on the social, environmental and health characteristics of an under-studied rural population at high risk for chronic diseases. Chile is regarded as a model for social and economic transition in Latin America. Nevertheless, Chile’s progress and economic growth hide persistent inequalities.2 Poverty rates have declined from 38.6% in 1990 to 20.7% in 2017, when a large proportion of the population was still living in poverty based on their education, health care, employment, social security and housing conditions.