History History

In the ^15th century, the Inca Empire was at the height of its expansion, subduing the populations of northern Chile. The limit of their empire came up against the Río Maule, where fearsome Mapuche warriors succeeded in repelling them.

On September 20, 1519, Magellan, a Portuguese navigator who had entered the service of Spain, left Sanlúcar, in Andalusia, with five ships. He hoped to discover a western passage to the Indies. A month later, on October 21, the fleet entered a kind of pass that would become known as the Strait of Magellan. For the first time, a route was traced to link the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean

Born in Porto in 1480, this navigator is famous for having undertaken a voyage of no return to the New World. Shortly after the discovery of the South Sea, he asked the Lusitanian Crown, which until then had controlled maritime trade with the Indies, to finance an expedition. The latter refused and Magellan therefore turned to Charles V: Spain would finance the expedition. After discovering the Straits, Magellan continued his journey until he reached the Moluccas: this was the first circumnavigation of the globe in human history.

In Peru, the conquistadores took an interest in the lands to the south. Diego de Almagro, who took part in the conquest of the Inca Empire alongside Francisco Pizarro, was Chile's first pioneer. Accompanied by 570 Spaniards and 15,000 natives, Diego de Almagro and his men launched their expedition from Cusco and headed north to what is now Argentina. They crossed the Andes and discovered steeper terrain, a harsher climate and an arid desert. They discovered the Aconcagua valley and the Maipo river, which led them to the bay of present-day Valparaiso. However, this vast territory did not hold the riches they had hoped for, and was nothing like the El Dorado they had dreamed of when they set out. The expedition eventually turned back after encountering Mapuches who prevented them from crossing the Río Maule.

The Mapuche, called Araucans by the conquistadors, organized a series of revolts against the Spanish invaders. Between rebellions, military campaigns and deadly battles, the conflict turned into one of the longest wars in history.

In 1540, Pedro de Valdivia undertook an expedition to complete the conquest of the territories explored by Almagro and founded Santiago de Chile (1541) in a valley in the southern Andes. He named the city Santiago de la Nueva Extremadura in memory of his home town and the apostle Santiago. He then built the cities of La Serena, Valparaíso (1544), Concepción (1550) and Valdivia (1552).

The rebellious Mapuche chief Lautaro confronts the Spanish troops at the Tucapel fort, the most advanced post of Pedro de Valdivia, then Governor of Chile. Taken by surprise, the latter was taken prisoner and put to death by Lautaro, then 17 years old.

Martin Garcia de Loyola, conqueror of the last Inca emperor Tupac Amaru, takes over as governor of Chile. The Spanish conquest of the territory was constantly challenged by indigenous revolts, and Martin Garcia de Loyola, determined to pacify the Arauco, arrived with the Jesuits, Chile's first missionaries. He died six years later at the hands of the Mapuche before he could consolidate Spanish power in Chile.

The Spanish Crown prohibited Araucanian slavery, the main reason for the constant wars in the territory. Gradually, the mestizo population became quite large, and Chile had enough manpower to do without the natives. This mestizo population, known as Creoles, descended from the first Spanish settlers. The Creoles owned most of the land, but had little political power. Their demands formed the basis of the independence movement.

The explorer Jacob Roggeveen landed on an island in the South Pacific located 3,525 kilometres off the coast of Chile. This European discovery coincided with Easter Sunday, so he named it and reported the existence of its inhabitants, the Rapa Nui.

Don José de Manso, then Governor of Chile, founded the towns of Copiapó, Aconcagua, San José de Logroño, Mellipilla, Rancagua, San Fernando, Curicó and Talca, in order to group together the subjugated natives and govern them more easily.

The Bourbons, on the Spanish throne, launched a series of reforms to secure their interests in Chilean territory: the administration of Chile was divided into two intendancies, Santiago and Concepción, both under the authority of an intendant whose function was at once military, administrative and legal. The Intendant of Santiago was also Governor of Chile. The Spanish Crown appointed more competent governors: the Chilean colony developed, trade was regulated, new towns were founded, churches were built, the road network was constructed... The country was largely pacified, and Chilean colonial society became increasingly organized.

At the beginning of the 19th century, Spain had to fight against Napoleon in Europe while its colonies were agitated by a first series of wars of independence. In Santiago, on September 18, 1810, a group of Creoles took power and tried to establish independence by organizing the Primera Junta, a sort of first Chilean government council. Its supporters rejected the royal authority and tried to get rid of the Spanish monopoly. This date marks the beginning of the process of independence of Chile, which will succeed only 8 years later, on February 12, 1818.

A proponent of severing ties with the Spanish Crown, Bernardo O'Higgins initiated the Assembly of the Government created on September 18, 1810. He had to face up to the Spanish army, which landed in Chile in 1813 and set out to reconquer the country. The Independence Army, commanded by O'Higgins and Juan Miguel Carrera, managed to defeat the Spaniards before being defeated at Rancagua. O'Higgins and his men crossed the Andes and took refuge in Argentina: together with José de San Martín, they formed the Army of the Andes, which led them to victory on February 12, 1817. O'Higgins became supreme director of the nation and set about building the Chilean state, but his political convictions and authoritarian stance were to prove displeasing. Sensing the disapproval of his people, he preferred to resign in 1823. He died in exile in Peru in 1823.

José de San Martín and Bernardo O'Higgins, heroes of South American independence, wanted to surprise the viceroy of Peru and attack him in order to retake Chile. The famous Army of the Andes, whose goal was to liberate Chile from the Spanish Empire, gathered 4,000 Chilean and Argentine soldiers and, after many battles, dealt the final blow to the troops of Governor Marcelo del Pont, in Chacabuco, on February 12, 1817. Bernardo O'Higgins proclaimed the independence of the country one year later, on February 12, 1818.

This was the beginning of the military campaign "Occupation of Araucania", aimed at subduing the Mapuche people. The resistance of this warlike and reckless people would collapse in part with the occupation and the placing of their lands under trusteeship. The most notable battle was the great battle of Temuco, in 1882, where after many losses the indomitable Mapuche finally decided to submit

The Pacific War broke out, pitting Chile against Peru and Bolivia. Chile saw an opportunity to expand its territory in the north, a region rich in saltpetre, which was used to make explosives. Chile annexed the Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Arica and Tacna and took over the former Bolivian province of Antofagasta. Bolivia lost its access to the sea.

New discussions began on the division of the Cordillera and the demarcation of the border between Chile and Argentina. The Argentine proposal for a Pan-American Conference suggested that a sort of international tribunal be set up whenever national sovereignty was at stake. All the countries voted in favour of this proposal, to the great displeasure of Chile.

First settled in 1881, the border issue has continued to plague relations between Chile and Argentina ever since. Thus, both countries turned to international arbitration, namely the crown of the United Kingdom, King Edward VII of England, who had just succeeded his mother, Queen Victoria. On November 20, 1902, London finally rendered its arbitration on this case The Cordillera of the Andes Boundary Case: it was judged that Argentina gained some 40,000 km² in the disputed area, and Chile 55,000 km².

The industrial revolution in which Chile was entering also brought with it its share of exploited workers, low wages and precarious, unregulated working conditions. This uprooted population works in extremely difficult conditions, without any social protection. Social movements regularly explode their anger and sometimes end in bloodshed. Organizing a strike, miners and their families gathered in the school of Santa María. Several regiments surrounded the school and machine-gunned men, women and children. Between 3,000 and 4,000 people were killed.

Gabriela Mistral is the first Latin American author to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

This earthquake remains to this day the largest earthquake ever recorded. With a magnitude of 9.5, it caused volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, with some waves as high as 25 metres. The tremors were so violent that even Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines were affected. Scientists estimate that it was so powerful that it shifted the Earth's axis and shortened our days by 1.26 microseconds. Many coastal cities, such as Valdivia, were wiped out and the economic consequences were dramatic. The disaster killed 3,000 people and left two million homeless.

Salvador "Chicho" Allende Gossens, a member of the Popular Unity (UP), a socialist alliance, was elected President of the Republic in the second round. He remained in power for only three years. At the time of his election in 1970, Washington was firmly opposed to the arrival in power of a socialist: "The political evolution of Chile endangers the national security of the United States because of the repercussions in France and Italy", declared the American president Nixon. He tried to establish a peaceful socialist regime within the laws of a bourgeois democracy. As early as 1971, he nationalized copper, iron, steel, coal and most banks. His first successes were reflected in the communal elections of 1971 by 56% of the votes in favour of the Popular Unity parties. But Allende would gradually face opposition from the right, which would lead to the final confrontation

Military coup in Chile led by the head of the military junta Augusto Pinochet. In Santiago, the Moneda Palace is bombed and the socialist president Salvador Allende becomes a national martyr by committing suicide.

Pinochet proclaims himself "Supreme Head of the Nation": his seizure of power will last seventeen years. Pinochet's first principles were anti-communism and the purge. As soon as the military junta took power, repression fell on opponents, the press was subjected to firm control, a state of emergency was declared, disappearances and imprisonments were massive and the National Stadium became in a few days the largest detention camp in the capital (7,000 detainees) while torture centres were set up throughout the country. In December 1973, Operation Condor was launched: this network of intelligence services from several Latin American countries (notably Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil) organised itself by collecting and exchanging information about left-wing opponents. Beyond the borders of Chile, several politicians, diplomats and ministers considered to be "terrorists" were assassinated. The following year, in June 1974, the DINA(dirección de investigación nacional) was officially created. Its 4,000 agents, under the pretext of taking measures to preserve the country's national security, were charged with eliminating militants and opponents of the regime. The military junta, committed to a return to the private economy and convinced by neo-liberal theses, sent students to complete their training at the University of Chicago. Thus were born the "Chicago Boys" who, as soon as the coup d'état was over, set about privatising the Chilean economy and appealing to foreign capital. In 1980, a new constitution was promulgated and approved in a referendum. At the same time, it established General Pinochet as President of the Republic

In October 1988, the triumph of "No! Ya basta" plebiscite in Pinochet's attempt to extend his power until 1997. On July 30 of the following year, the reform of the Constitution was approved by 87.5% of Chilean voters. In 17 years of power, the dictatorship regime was responsible for the disappearance of more than 3,000 people and subjected thousands of men and women to torture. In addition, in the face of repression, between 500,000 and one million Chileans left the country between 1973 and 1989.

Patricio Aylwin, the candidate of the Concertación de los Partidos por la Democratia (CPD, Coordination of Parties for Democracy, made up of 17 parties), won with 55.2% of the vote, beating the military regime's candidate Hernan Buchi (29.4%). He will take office in March 1990 for a four-year transition period. Pinochet will remain commander-in-chief of the armed forces until 1998.

The Aylwin government set itself the goal of dealing with human rights violations during the dictatorship. Thus, on 24 April 1990, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission was created, which brought to light nearly 2,279 murders, of which 2,115 were human rights violations and 2,025 were perpetrated by State agents. The conclusions of this report were rejected outright by Pinochet when many voices called for his impeachment.

The former Chilean dictator, who is visiting London, is the subject of an international arrest warrant and is accused by European justice of crimes against humanity. In 1999 British judges ruled in favour of extraditing Augusto Pinochet to Spain. However, this never took place: he was detained for 500 days before being released for health reasons

Michelle Bachelet becomes the first woman to be elected by universal suffrage in a Latin American country.

Augusto Pinochet died in the military hospital in Santiago, following a heart attack. The national mourning is not decreed, "for the good of Chile" according to the words of president Bachelet. No tribute of former head of state is paid to him. Only the honours of a former commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He died without appearing before the courts. He was targeted by the justice system but never convicted. The Museum of Memory in Santiago traces this dark period in Chilean history. He embodied one of the most violent dictatorships in Latin America.

The candidate of the Alianza, the modern right, Sebastian Piñera wins the presidential election and puts an end to 20 years of government by the left.

It is one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded. Its epicentre, measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale, is located in the Pacific Ocean, just 6.4 kilometres off the Chilean coast. The nearest city, Concepción, will be devastated by the violence of a tsunami whose waves reached 6 meters in height. The human toll is 720 victims.

Following a collapse in the San José mine, 33 miners found themselves trapped at a depth of 688 metres. They remained trapped for two months and 10 days until the morning of October 13, when they were brought to the surface in front of the world's cameras.

A social protest movement against the high cost of living and the privatization of public services sets Chile ablaze. President Piñera, in office since March 2018, decrees a state of emergency and sends the military into the streets. After 5 days of extreme violence, he changes his strategy and wants to calm the game by announcing a whole battery of social measures. Yet, the angry people continue the demonstrations against social inequalities.

One year after the social events that shook the country, a referendum was held to replace the Constitution inherited from the Pinochet dictatorship. Chileans voted by a very large majority (78.28%) in favour of a new Constitution, a sign of the profound social reforms to come.

The Chileans appointed an Assembly of 155 elected citizens to draft the country's new Constitution. The Mapuche linguist Elisa Loncón is elected president of the Constituent Assembly: a symbolic election that puts indigenous cultures, women's rights and the defence of the environment at the heart of the concerns.

At the beginning of 2021, Chile was the third country in the world after Israel and the United Kingdom to have injected the most first doses of vaccine into its citizens. A champion of vaccination, the country had vaccinated 75% of its population by the end of July 2021. Between tightening and easing restrictions, the government finally announced the reopening of schools, closed since March 2020.

With incumbent President Sebastián Piñera unable to stand for re-election, Chile finds itself with two candidates in the second round of the presidential elections whose political convictions are radical and radically opposed - the first time this has happened since democracy was restored in 1989. José Antonio Kast (far right) faced the radical left of a young Gabriel Boric. It was the latter who won on December 19, 2021, becoming the youngest president in Chilean history at the age of 35!

One year after the establishment of a Constituent Assembly charged with drafting a new Constitution laying the foundations for a new society, and getting rid of a text considered obsolete and dating back to the Pinochet era, the new Constitution was rejected by 62% of voters! A real surprise, given that two years earlier the vast majority of the Chilean people had supported the initiative. There were many reasons for this rejection, but the main one was symbolic: it underlined the people's mistrust and lack of confidence in the government and its institutions.

Following the rejection by referendum of the proposed Constitution of September 2022, new constituent elections were held to elect an assembly responsible for drafting a new version. The Republican Party of conservative José Antonio Kast, a fervent opponent of the Boric government and the drafting of a new constitution, won the majority of votes. Adding the votes won by the Chile Vamos party, a coalition of three right-wing parties also in favor of the current text, the President and the Left Alliance were defeated...