Chile History

PRECOLONIAL TIMES AND SPANISH COLONIZATION (1460-1550)
Think twice before arguing with a Chilean—considering their history of unrelenting resistance, they’re bound to put up quite a fight. When the Incas attempted to conquer Chile in 1460 and 1491, they encountered fierce resistance from the indigenous Araucanians, specifically members of the Mapuche tribe, and were only able to establish some forts in the Central Valley.

The Araucanians, a fragmented tribal society consisting primarily of hunters and farmers, constituted the largest Amerindian group in Chile. The Araucanians’ almost mythical ability to withstand foreign attempts at colonization of their land served them well when the Spanish conquest of Chile began in 1536-37. Francisco Pizarro invaded Chile in search of “Otro Perú” (Another Peru). Disappointed at not finding gold, Pizarro returned to Peru immediately, but in 1540-41 agreed to Pedro de Valdivia’s request to conquer and colonize the region.

Santiago was founded on February 12, 1541, but Valdivia did not undertake the conquest of the southern regions until 1550, and the conquest of Chile was consolidated in the late 1550s under Governor Don García Hurtado de Mendoza. This time, to resist colonization, the Araucanians added horses and European weaponry to their arsenal and were able to hinder the Spaniards until the late 19th century, by which time a century of European conquest and disease had decimated about half of the original Araucanian population of over one million.

Colonial Period

Despite the corruption of the political system and the Spanish officials posted in Chile, Chileans exhibited loyalty to crown authority for three centuries of colonial rule. Ironically, the colonizers ...more

The Road To Independence

The French Bourbon monarchs came to power after the Hapsburg dynasty’s rule over Spain ended in 1700. The Bourbon Reforms of 1759-96, introduced by French Bourbon monarchs, allowed for more independence ...more

Building The Republic

Although Bernardo O’Higgins seemed to have a tight hold over Chile after the war, his position as a dictator was soon challenged. By 1823, his attempts to draw more of the oligarchy into his administration ...more

War of The Pacific

The massive influx of investment and industrial goods from Europe caught up to Chile in the 1870s. Faced with a serious balance-of-payments crisis, the government began looking toward the region north ...more

A New Constitution

In 1920, widespread discontent among the middle class catapulted the reformist Arturo Alessandri Palma into the presidency. However, the powerful, elite-controlled parliament blocked most of his initiatives ...more

Rebirth of Democracy

In response to the independent efforts of both the National Party and the Christian Democrats to recapture the presidency, the Socialists, Communists, and Liberals in both the Radical and Christian Democrat ...more

The Democratic 90s

The return to democracy has been a neither simple nor quick process for Chile. In many ways, the peacefulness of the transition has made it even harder. Unlike many other South American countries, such ...more