History of Chile

Original peoples of Chile (18.500 years b.c.-

1540)
Some of The original peoples of chile are:
• Aymara: North (alive), they live in the border with Peru and Bolivia.
• Atacameños: North (died), they lived in the Atacama desert
• Incas: north-central (died), they they conquered all of Chile except the Mapuche
área.
• Mapuches: South-central (alive), they live in the south-central part of Chile, they
are currently demanding that the Chilean government return their lands to them.
• Selk’nam: South (died), This town died as the Europeans took them to Europe for
the circus.

Conquest of chile (1540-1598) Important

characters
• Diego de Almagro, He participated in the conquest of Peru and is officially
considered the discoverer of Chile; He was also the first European to reach the
current territory of Bolivia.
• Pedro de Valdivia, After participating in various military campaigns in Europe,
Valdivia traveled to America, forming part of the hosts of Francisco Pizarro,
governor of Peru. With the title of lieutenant governor granted by Pizarro, Valdivia
led the Conquest of Chile starting in 1540. In this role, he was the founder of the
oldest cities in the country, including the capital Santiago in 1541, La Serena
(1544), Concepción (1550), Valdivia (1552) and La Imperial (1552). In addition, he
ordered the foundation of the cities of Villarrica and Los Confines (Angol). In 1541
he received from his fellow conquerors organized in a town hall, the title of
Governor and Captain General of the Kingdom of Chile. After quelling the
indigenous resistance and some conspiracies against him, he returned to the
Viceroyalty of Peru in 1548, where Pedro de la Gasca confirmed his title. Back in
Chile, he undertook the so-called War of Arauco against the Mapuche people, in
which he died in 1553 at the Battle of Tucapel.
 • Inés Suarez, Inés Suárez, erroneously known as Inés de Suárez, was a conqueror
and military man known for her notable role in the period of the Conquest of Chile.
She was part of the Conquest of Chile in Pedro de Valdivia's expedition to Chile,
being the first Spanish to set foot on that territory. She also participated in the
founding of the current city of Santiago de Chile (at that time, "Santiago de Nueva
Extremadura") and was a key figure in its defense during the Destruction of
Santiago, which was a Mapuche siege in 1541, and was also the lover by Pedro de
Valdivia. Ines Suarez ended up with Valdivia by order of Pedro de la Gasca since
Valdivia was married and could not have another woman, so he married her to a
neighbor from Santiago. He passed away and cultivated considerable wealth.
• Lautaro, Lautaro (Leftraru) was a prominent Mapuche military leader in the Arauco
War during the first phase of the Spanish conquest of the territory that would
become Chile. For a long time he was Pedro de Valdivia's assistant, from who he
learned their language and the military tactics that allowed him to stand up to the
settlers.

Conquest of chile (1540-1598) important facts

1. Discovery of chile: Diego de Almagro went south with false news that the
south was full of gold. The expedition consisted of 500 men, 1,000 black slaves, and 1,500
Yanaconas. He left Cusco on 3th July, 1535 with 50 men, Halfway through his journey he
had 150 men gathered, making a total of 12,500 people.
Almagro began to climb the Andes mountain range following the Inca Trail. the expedition
began to cross the first heights of the Andes mountain range in the direction of
Comecaballos Pass and then to the Polished Portezuelo to reach Peñasco de Diego until
reaching heights over 4,000 m. In their advance through the mountain range, the
expedition members suffered many hardships, since they walked exhausted by the cold
wind and the freezing of their hands and feet, and by the difficulty of traveling on a loose
soil, full of small pebbles, with sharp edges, that destroyed the soles of the shoes and the
horseshoes. The icy climate of the mountain range killed a large part of the Yanaconas
Indians, who began to leave on the route like a path of death, because they did not have
the appropriate clothing and they walked naked, and several of the Spaniards, when they
took off their boots, their frozen toes fell off. The hardships increased as they entered that
frozen, inhospitable and silent landscape, even stopping the advance due to lack of
courage.
The conqueror, concerned about the fate of his men, led an advance group along with
twenty other horsemen, which crossed the mountain range and after riding for three
whole days, they reached the Copiapó valley, and collected food that the natives supplied
and that He immediately sent to the aid of his men. Only 2,500 survivors of the Almagro
journey arrived. The most total discredit plunged the lands of Chile, associating its name
with failure, as it would be until 1540.

2. Conquest of Chile and Foundation of Santiago: Pedro de

Valdivia wanted to conquer Chile in order to be recorded in history, but it was difficult for
him to obtain men for his expedition, since the name of Chile was marked by the Almagro
disaster, since Chile began to be called a land like miserable and hostile, without gold, and
very cold weather. Valdivia only found 11 men willing to undertake the adventure, plus
Inés Suárez. Valdivia began his expedition from Cusco, passed near the coast and stopped
to rest in Tarapacá. News of Valdivia's march had spread across the highlands, and several
soldiers joined him in Tarapacá. Pedro de Valdivia's Expedition to Chile already numbered
110 Spaniards.
Valdivia reached the wide and fertile valley of the Mapocho River. As he climbed the
Huelén hill, he saw that the channel divided into two arms, leaving an island of flat land
enclosed in its arms. Valdivia set up camp on this island west of Cerro Huelén. The place
seemed suitable to him to found a city. Flanked to the north, south and east by natural
barriers, the site allowed the conquerors to better defend the town from any indigenous
attack. On the other hand, the aboriginal population was more abundant in the Mapocho
valley than in the valleys further north, assuring the invaders of labor to cultivate the land,
and especially to exploit the mines that they still had hope to discover. despite being rare.
On February 12, 1541, the city of Santiago del Nuevo Extremo was founded at the foot of
the Huelén, renamed Santa Lucía. The builder Pedro de Gamboa drew up the city in the
shape of a checkerboard, dividing the land within the river island into blocks, which were
divided into four lots for the first residents. Determined to find the location of the gold
and indigenous labor to extract it, he treated the natives very well, who yielded to his
attention, guiding the Castilians to their laundries in the Marga Marga (Viña del Mar).

3. Destruction of Santiago: Valdivia left for Cachapoal, since there were

about 10,000 organized Indians, with 90 men, leaving another 40 men in Santiago.
Meanwhile, Michimalonco, the Indian chief, had stealthily installed his forces very close to
Santiago. Their forces numbered up to twenty thousand lances.On Sunday, September 11,
1541, the Indian armies began the assault. They came equipped with an extremely
suitable weapon: fire.
Daylight and flames showed Michimalonco that the city was already vulnerable and he
ordered it to be taken. From the rocky ground on the southern shore of Mapocho, one of
those platoons was advancing resolutely towards the enclosure from where the cries of
Quilicanta and the imprisoned chiefs could be heard.
Inés Suárez observing with growing anguish the indigenous advance, while treating the
wounded. He realized that if the rescue occurred, the increased morale of the natives
would make his victory more likely. Disturbed, she took up a sword and went to the
prisoners' room, demanding that the guards: «then kill the caciques before they were
helped by their own. And Hernando de la Torre, a guard, more shocked with terror than
with the courage to cut off heads, said to her: "Lady, in what way do I have to kill you?”,
"Such a way!" And she herself beheaded them.
Immediately the woman went out to the courtyard where the combat was taking place,
and brandishing the bloody sword in one hand and showing the head of an Indian in the
other, she shouted angrily: «Get out, I kill your misters and caciques!». after this fact the
Spaniards gained ground and in the end they won the battle, but also ruin and destruction
stalked the Spaniards.

4. Arauco War: In January 1550 he began a campaign to the south. After the trip,
Valdivía entrenched himself in the place, which would give foundation to the city of
Concepción. The Araucanians, formed in armed squadrons, appeared again and attacked
the fort. The battle was decided in a single cavalry charge, in which 900 Indians were killed
or wounded. In this battle, Michimalonco was executed. Valdivia ordered the survivors to
amputate his right hand and nose as a sign of warning and freed them to sow panic, this
way of making war would turn against the Spaniards themselves. This action also fostered
the irrevocable hatred of Lautaro, Valdivia's servant.
Valdivia remained all 1550 in the Penco fort, officially it was Santa María De La Inmaculada
Concepción, which would be the third most important town.
Within this campaign, he arrived in the current city of Valdivia, and when noticing that it
was on the banks of the Ainilebu, he decided to found a city that would bear his surname
by name, this is how he founded the city of Valdivia on February 9 1552, on the banks of
the Valdivia river, continuation of the Calle-Calle river.

5. End of Pedro de Valdivia: Valdivia founded in the summer of 1553 the

forts of Tucapel, Arauco and Purén and established the foundations of the fifth and last
city founded by him, Los Confines de Angol, near these forts. In 1553 some auxiliaries
escaped from the Villarica mines and killed a Spaniard. The captains of the forts warned of
an indigenous uprising and gave the alarm to Concepción.
The Spanish observed that the Indians attacked in a very different way from previous
battles and organized as a copy of Spanish tactics. Such was their effectiveness that they
locked themselves in the fort, sending a warning to Valdivia about the extreme gravity of
the situation. The natives intercepted the emissary during his departure from the fort,
under Lautaro's instructions, allowed him to continue and on his return he brought
Valdivia's instruction to meet him in Tucapel, where he was captured by Lautaro's hosts.
Lautaro brought out his cunning by retaining Almagro in the Purén fort, had a well-trained
Indian captured and as soon as the Spaniards questioned him, he said that as soon as
Spaniards left the fort they would be heavily attacked.
Valdivia personally in command set out with 50 horsemen from Concepción on December
23, 1553 in demand of the Tucapel fort, where he believed that Alvarado's forces had
already gathered. Being already half a day from Fort Tucapel, he had no news of Captain
Bobadilla. On Christmas Day 1553, he sets off at dawn and when he reaches the vicinity of
the hill of Tucapel, he is surprised by the absolute silence that reigns. The fort was totally
destroyed and without a Spaniard in the vicinity.
As they made camp in the smoking ruins, screams and bangs on the ground could be
heard in the forest. Then a group of natives rushed towards the Spaniards. Valdivia could
barely put together his defensive lines and endure the first shock. The cavalry charged on
the rear of the enemy, but the Mapuche had planned this maneuver, and they arranged
lancers who energetically contained the charge. The Spanish managed to decompose the
first load of the natives, who withdrew with casualties from the hill to the forests. The
swords were scarcely lowered when a new indigenous squad burst in; they rearmed lines
and returned to charge with the cavalry.
The picture was repeated once more: after the blast of a horn, the second squad withdrew
with some casualties, and a third contingent went into battle. Behind this strategy of the
refreshment battalions was Lautaro.
The situation of the Castilians became desperate. Valdivia, faced with fatigue and
casualties, gathered the available soldiers and launched into the fierce fight. Soon the
result of the battle was defined and finally the chief ordered the retreat, but Lautaro
himself fell on the flank causing the disbandment. The Indians fell one by one on the
isolated Spaniards. Valdivia was captured.
According to some historians, Valdivia's heart was extracted raw to devour among the
victors. Chief Pelantarú returned it 55 years later.

6. End of the conquest: In Valdivia's testament, he appointed Gerónimo de

Alderete as governor of Chile first, Francisco de Aguirre second, and Francisco de Villagra
last. Alderete was in Spain negotiating the recognition of the position of Valdivia by the
king, Aguirre in the conquest of Tucumán and Villagra in the southern cities. The southern
cities then proclaimed Villagra as governor. The same did not happen in Santiago where
Valdivia's will was not respected and the Cabildo proclaimed Rodrigo de Quiroga
governor.
The Arauco war continued its course, and Lautaro again defeated the Spanish at Angol and
Concepción. Villagra, complying with the judgment of the lawyers, marches south, and
manages to enter the Mapuche camp with his men by surprise, killing Lautaro and
defeating the Araucanians in the battle of Mataquito on April 1, 1557. Upon reaching
Santiago they hang up the Lautaro's head on a spear in the center of the city. The new
viceroy of Peru had appointed a new governor for Chile; it was García Hurtado de
Mendoza.

Stabilization and peace (1598-1810)

The Spanish make a peace with the Mapuches and negotiate goods. The search for gold
and riches takes a back seat.

Independence of Chile (1810-1826)

The Chilean War of Independence corresponds to the historical process that allowed the
emancipation of the country from the Spanish Monarchy, ended the colonial period and
began the formation of an independent republic.
It developed in the context of the emancipation of Spanish America, a process that began
with the formation of government boards in the Spanish American colonies in response to
the capture of King Fernando VII by Napoleonic forces in 1808. The first government board
in Chile sought, in At first, maintain loyalty to the captive king. However, the process
started began to gradually radicalize until seeking a definitive separation from Spain and
the adoption of republican ideas by the leaders of the independence process.
Traditionally, historiography has defined this period as that between the establishment of
the First National Board of Government (September 18, 1810) and the resignation of
Bernardo O'Higgins as supreme director (January 28, 1823). In addition, this period is
subdivided into three stages: the Old Homeland (patria Vieja) (1810-1814), the
Reconquest (Reconquista) (1814-1817) and the New Homeland (Patria Nueva) (1817-
1823). Within them, the Chilean war of emancipation began formally in 1812, when the
viceroy of Peru carried out the first hostile actions, and lasted until 1826, when the last
royalist stronghold in Chiloé fell.
The independence of Chile was declared through the act of independence, officially
proclaimed and sworn in Santiago on February 12, 1818.

Independence of Chile (1810-1826) Important

characters
• Bernardo O'Higgins, Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme is considered the father of the
country. His presence, as a military man and a ruler, was crucial in the entire
process of Chilean emancipation from Spanish rule, whether it was fighting in the
battles of Independence or serving as the first Supreme Director of the new nation.
 • José Miguel Carrera, José Miguel de la Carrera y Verdugo was a Chilean politician
and military man. Prócer of the emancipation of Chile and a prominent participant
in the wars of independence, he is recognized as one of the "fathers of the
Homeland of Chile", head of government, the first general-in-chief of the Army and
the first caudillo in the republican history of said country, and one of the first in
America. He was shot in Mendoza in 1821 by order of O'Higgins.
• Juan José Carrera, Juan José Pedro de la Carrera y Verdugo was a Chilean military
and patriot, who participated during the Old Homeland. Secondary to his brother
José Miguel, and together with his younger brother Luis and other republican
officials, he formed one of the main groups within the supporters of
Independence: the Carrerino group. He was shot in Mendoza along with his
brother Luis, at the hands of the city authorities, under the orders of O'Higgins.

Independence of Chile (1810-1826) important

facts
Old homeland (Patria vieja): First National Board of
Government and First National Congress.
1. Following the example of the Spanish provinces and the other American colonies, in
the city of Santiago, capital of the Captaincy General of Chile, on September 18, 1810 an
open council was called, which delegated its power to the First National Board. of
Government, that had like objective to keep the power to the king.

2. The National Governing Board created new military bodies and established freedom
of trade and contact with the Buenos Aires Board. After the death of the Count of the
Conquest, Juan Martínez de Rozas assumed the presidency of the Board, who called for
elections for a national congress. On April 1, 1811, election day, Lieutenant Colonel Tomás
de Figueroa revolted an army corps demanding the dissolution of the junta. The mutiny
was unsuccessful and Figueroa was put on trial and sentenced to death. The first congress
began its sessions on July 4, 1811, and was soon divided into two camps: the exalted, who
sought complete and swift independence; and the moderates, who wanted some reforms
and good government. Tired of the divisions in Congress and its ineptitude, on September
4 the Carrera brothers (José Miguel, Luis and Juan José) staged a military coup with the
aim of forming a new governing board more committed to the ideals of the independence;
under pressure of arms, Congress acceded.
Old homeland (Patria vieja): Revolution of the Carrera
and first battles
3. Dissatisfied with the actions of the Government Junta, the Carrera brothers rebelled a
part of the garrison in Santiago to dissolve the conservative junta on September 4, 1811,
when the troops of Juan José and Luis Carrera barricaded themselves in the Plaza de La
Moneda. and they forced Congress to convene an open council.
Soon after, and annoyed by the actions of the radical junta that he himself had placed in
power, José Miguel Carrera conspired against them using the Spanish, who he made them
believe that he would restore the colonial regime in order to obtain resources from them.
The mutiny handed over power to Carrera, who replaced the junta with another
composed of himself.

4. Viceroy José Fernando sent Brigadier Antonio Pareja with just 50 officers to raise an
army with local recruits, reaching southern Chile. On the island of Chiloé and in the city of
Valdivia, more than 2000 men were incorporated, with 20 guns. The royalist troops
attacked Talcahuano, defeating and driving the patriots to flight. Then came the surprise
of Yerbas Benas, the first battle between patriots and royalists, where the royalists also
won. On May 15, 1813, the battle of San Carlos took place, the siege of Chillán and the
victory of El Roble, where, thanks to O'Higgins tactics, the patriots won, driving the
royalists back.

Old homeland (Patria vieja): End of the old homeland

5. After the victory at El Roble, events occurred in Chile that weakened the emancipatory
movement, giving the royalists the opportunity to regain strength. After a civil war, the
Rancagua Disaster occurs where the patriotic forces decided to divide and resist in
Rancagua; while Bernardo O'Higgins and Juan José Carrera took refuge in the city with half
the army, José Miguel Carrera stood to the north in the rear with the rest of the forces.
O'Higgins had adobe barricades erected in the four streets that gave the entrance to the
main square, so that the patriots barricaded themselves there to wait for the royalists,
resisting Osorio's forces all day. The next day, the royalists cut off the water in the ditches
and set fire to the houses to make their way to the plaza. For their part, the patriots
resisted, waiting for the help of General Carrera, who did not decide to attack, considering
that the effort would be ineffective. Upon seeing the action of José Miguel Carrera and
when there were barely 300 men left out of the 2000, the men in the Rancagua square
decided to load on horseback, saber in hand before being captured, so that breaking the
enemy ranks by charging against the royalists to escape.
6. The Rancagua Disaster caused panic in Santiago. The patriot population and the
government left the city to escape to Argentina. The rest of the monarchists prepared to
receive the forces of Osorio, the Spanish general. Thus ended the period called the Old
Homeland.

Reconquest
7. Viceroy Abascal confirmed Osorio as governor of Chile, but in 1815 a dispute between
Osorio and Abascal led to the removal of the former, and Casimiro Marcó was appointed
as governor. The monarchists, continuing with the policy that they practiced against the
peninsular boards after the restoration of Fernando VII, considered necessary a good
lesson to the population in general, for which a political persecution began, led by the
captain of the Talavera de la Reina Regiment. , Vicente San Bruno. Abuses of all kinds
occurred, they were systematically practiced. The monarchist government offered an
amnesty, but exiled those who accepted it to the Juan Fernández archipelago, mostly
members of the conciliationist camp, including several members of the 1810 Junta,
including the elderly and the sick. The patriots or those suspected of being so, were
arrested and locked up in the jail of Santiago, being murdered at close range. This and
other similar things, far from extinguishing the desire for freedom and justice,
exacerbated them.

8. A group of patriots (among them Carrera and O'Higgins) were already exiled in
Argentina, where José de San Martín was governor. This immediately favored O'Higgins,
due to their connections with the Lautaro Lodge, which worked at the Spanish-American
level to obtain independence, as well as due to the loss of prestige suffered by the Carrera
and, mainly, due to a series of attitudes on the part of the Carrera that were interpreted
as an attempt to ignore the Argentine authorities and that of San Martín in particular.

New Homeland
9. In January 1817, the armies of San Martín and O'Higgins began the Crossing of the
Andes to liberate Chile. Crossing the mountain range by several steps. More than 4,000
men with cavalry and artillery, without casualties and at more than four thousand meters
high, complete the feat. The army met on February 8 in the town of Curimón, north of
Santiago. On February 12, the Battle of Chacabuco began. In it the army of San Martín and
O'Higgins measured their forces, and the royalist, who suffered a decisive defeat. Another
epic charge from O'Higgins, who broke the lines of the Talaveras Regiment and beat the
realistic resistance. Captured on the Battlefield. The battle allowed the patriots to settle in
Santiago. Once the assembly had been assembled, General O'Higgins, Supreme Director of
the State of Chile, was immediately acclaimed.

10. After the lost battle of Cancha Rayada, O'Higgins delegated command of the
patriotic troops to San Martín. He gathered them in the plains of Maipú, on the outskirts
of Santiago. In the battle of Maipú, fought on April 5, 1818. San Martín inflicted such a
hard defeat on Osorio that he chose to return to Concepción, confirming the
independence of Chile. By honoring San Martín as the savior of the country, both greet
each other in what would become known as the embrace of Maipú.

End of independence
11. O'Higgins governed until 1823, but his strong and authoritarian character, the death
of the Carrera brothers and the subsequent assassination of Manuel Rodríguez, the same
year, together with an unpopular tax and fiscal policy, make him numerous enemies. The
death of José Miguel Carrera himself in Mendoza and some excesses committed by close
associates end up undermining his power. At the beginning of 1823 an uprising in the
south was supported by almost the entire national political spectrum and O'Higgins, true
to his character, wanted to resist, but at the last minute he changed his mind and on
January 22, 1823 he appeared in the Cabildo who accuses him, resigns from command to
avoid the Civil War and then dramatically rips his shirt and shows his chest, leaving amidst
cheers.

12. The New Homeland ends in 1823, with the resignation of O'Higgins. However, the
last Spanish territory in Chile, the island of Chiloé, would be conquered in 1826, during the
government of Ramón Freire, O'Higgins's successor. Regarding the territory south of the
Biobío river, and the Araucanía region; in January 1825 a general parliament was held with
the Mapuches who inhabited this area in order to agree on the statute that would
regulate the relations between the nascent republic and the Mapuche people; However,
the definitive inclusion of this territory in Chile would be the product of the conflict known
as Pacification of the Araucanía. Finally, in relation to O'Higgins' vision of Patagonia and
the Strait of Magellan, it would only be fulfilled in 1840 through the beginning of the
implementation of the Takeover plans for the Strait of Magellan; and with it, consolidating
the territorial expansion of Chile towards this area.

Constitution of 1833
After the civil war between 1829 and 1830, the Constitution of 1833 was created
establishing a Presidential Republic where the supreme power was held by a President
elected by an electoral college every 5 years. It was supported by a Council of State that
included the Ministers of the Office, certain ecclesiastical dignities and members of the
Senate.
Legislative power was handed over to a bicameral National Congress, that is, there was a
chamber of Senators and another chamber of Deputies. Despite having less power than
the President, in addition to its legislative function, it had powers such as drawing up the
Nation's Budget and establishing the mobilization of the Armed Forces. The latter gave
way to a political interpretation, especially after 1891, in which the ministers had to have
the support of the congress.
As for the judiciary, the independence of the courts is established.
The Constitution established a census voting system. It established the Catholic religion as
the official religion, with the prohibition of public manifestation of others.
This Constitution remained in force, with some reforms, until 1925.
The creator of this constitution is Diego Portales.

War of pacific (1879-1884)

The War of the Pacific was a conflict that occurred between 1879 and 1884 that pitted
Chile against the allies Peru and Bolivia. The war took place in the Pacific Ocean, in the
Atacama Desert and in the Peruvian highlands and valleys.

War of pacific (1879-1884) Important facts

How the war is born
1. In February 1878, Bolivia imposed a new tax on the Chilean company Compañía de
Salitres y Ferrocarril de Antofagasta (CSFA), in violation of the 1874 boundary treaty that
prohibited new or increased taxes. Chile protested, but the Bolivian Government,
persisted by Daza, considered the matter as internal and subject to the jurisdiction of the
Bolivian courts. Chile insisted and warned that it would not be considered bound by the
1874 border treaty if Bolivia did not suspend the tax. Rather, Daza terminated the Chilean
company's license, seized its assets, and put them up for auction. On February 14, 1879,
the Chilean military forces occupied the Bolivian town of Antofagasta without resistance
and advanced in a few days to the 23 ° S parallel. Peru, which had signed a secret Defense
Alliance Treaty with Bolivia, ordered the preparation of its military forces and
simultaneously sent a diplomat to Chile to mediate. Faced with the Chilean advance in
disputed territory, on March 1, Bolivia declared a state of war against Chile. When Peru
refused to remain neutral, Chile declared war on both allies on April 5, 1879. On April 6,
Peru declared the entry into force of the secret alliance with Bolivia. Although the dime
tax and the 1873 treaty appear at first sight as the triggers of the conflict, the fundamental
causes of the war were other. Among them, historians point to the vagueness of the
colonial borders, the interest in the nitrate business and the tension produced by the
differences between the progress of Chile and the political and economic instability of the
allies. Added to this is the competition between Peru and Chile for regional hegemony,
which included an alliance with Bolivia as a minor ally.

Preparations
2. No state at war was prepared for war, financially or militarily. In the Chilean navy at
the endof the war, 53% of the first engineers, 20% of the second engineers, and 8% of the
apprentices were foreigners. The government of Peru had stopped paying its foreign debt
and in Bolivia there were epidemics and hunger. The allies had, at first glance, some
advantages over the southern country. Its population and its troops doubled the Chilean
in number and the Peruvian port of Callao was with its artillery defenses almost
impregnable for the Chilean fleet and offered a safe refuge to the Peruvian ships. Perhaps
these were the reasons why the international press initially took Chile's defeat for
granted. But Chile had had a stable political regime since 1833 that had allowed it to
develop and strengthen its institutions. Among them, his army and his navy had a
command made up of an officers' school, troops fired in the Arauco war and uniform
weapons. The Chilean navy had 2 armor that were, due to the thickness of their armor, 6
unbeatable for the Peruvian navy. Although there were disputes in Chile between the
military and civilians over the direction of the strategy, there was always a primacy of the
political over the military. Its supply from Europe could be made through the Strait of
Magellan, which was only once threatened by the Peruvian Navy. In the allied armies, the
lack of dedication to their professional duties led to a situation in which they had several
types of rifles with different ammunition for each one and sometimes without a bayonet,
making it more difficult to train recruits, maintain equipment and ammunition during the
war. The allies did not have an artillery or cavalry comparable to the Chilean one. Unlike
the Chilean, the allied supply passed through third countries, subject to the influence of
diplomacy and the Chilean navy. To this must be added that once in possession of the
guano and saltpeter resources of Tarapacá, Chile received income that allowed it to
finance the war, which Peru lacked and that after the occupation of Tacna and Arica, the
Bolivian trade to and from the Pacific it was controlled by Chile.

Naval War and Battle of Iquique

3. At the beginning of the war it was evident that before any military operation in such
difficult terrain as the Atacama desert, control of the seas had to be gained. In this
campaign only the naval forces of Chile and Peru faced each other, the power of the
Chilean squad was based on the twin armored frigates, Cochrane and Blanco Encalada.
The rest of the squad consisted of the Chacabuco, O'Higgins, Esmeralda and Abtao
corvettes, the Magallanes gunboat and the Covadonga schooner, all of them made of
wood. The capital ships of the Peruvian squad were the armored frigate Independencia
and the armored monitor Huáscar. The Peruvian squad was completed by the Atahualpa
and Manco Cápac fluvial monitors, the Unión wooden corvette and the Pilcomayo wooden
gunboat. In order to suffocate the Peruvian export economy and force the Peruvian squad
to leave Callao to fight a battle on the high seas, the Chilean squad blocked the Peruvian
port of Iquique since April 5 and also bombed the ports. However, the Peruvian fleet
avoided combat with superior Chilean units and used the space and time given for a
bolder strategy to attack transport lines and unguarded Chilean ports, among others.
During these operations, the naval combat of Chipana took place on April 12, without a
clear winner. On May 21, in the naval combat of Iquique, the Huáscar (At this moment
was from Peru) managed to sink the Esmeralda (Chile), commanded by arturo Prat, A
hero, who said the mythical phrase in the battle of Iquique: "Boys: the contest is unequal,
but courage and courage.Our flag has never been lowered before the enemyand I hope
this is not the opportunity to do it! ", he launched himself to board the Huáscar, being
mortally wounded. On the same day, Independence (Peru) faced the Covadonga (Chile),
which, astutely directed by, managed to That his adversary ran aground in the naval
combat of Punta Gruesa and that he ended up suffering the bombardment of the latter.
On June 1, the blockade of Iquique was reestablished until August 2.
After the repairs in the Chilean capital ships, the Chilean fleet was organized into 2
divisions destined to the elimination of the Huáscar. On October 8, Huáscar was captured
in the decisive naval combat of Angamos. From Angamos, the Chilean squad was able to
support the army in its operations on land, as well as to harass the Peruvian coasts and
blockade its ports to prevent the supply of the Peruvian army or the arrival of
reinforcements. In the final stage of the naval campaign, the Chilean fleet held a blockade
in Callao that began on April 10, 1880. On January 17, the Peruvian naval authority in
Callao carried out the destruction of the batteries and the ships that still remained. to the
Peruvian navy, to avoid its capture by the Chileans.

Land campaign: Tarapacá campaign

4. The Chilean army began the invasion of Peru on November 2, 1879 with the landing of
Pisagua. The attackers disembarked from flat-bottomed boats and defeated the Bolivian
and Peruvian forces defending the port. Allied forces deployed to attack the Chileans from
Iquique to the south, and from Arica to the north. However, Daza, who was leading the
forces coming from Arica, returned north without going into battle. The Chilean forces
camped defeated the allies coming from Iquique on November 19 at the Battle of Dolores,
after which the port of Iquique surrendered without resistance on November 23. The allies
without reinforcements or logistical support to maintain their position and repel new
attacks withdrew to Arica in a painful march. With this fact, the campaign ended and Chile
became the owner of the region.

Land campaign: Arica and Tarapacá Campaign

5. 1,000 Chilean soldiers were disembarked from February 26, 1880 and for several days
in Punta Coles. In the Chilean advance, after the landing of their forces, there were several
clashes. On March 22, the battle of Los Angeles was fought, where the Chilean troops
defeated a Peruvian division and thereby cut off communications from Tacna and Arica
with Arequipa. On May 26, the Chilean army defeated the allied troops in the Battle of
Tacna. On June 7 the last allied troops were defeated in the Battle of Arica. After this
campaign the professional armies of Peru and Bolivia ceased to exist. Peru had to form a
new army and Bolivia did not continue its military participation in the war, although it did
support Peru with arms and money.

Land campaign: Lima campaign

6. Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: on January 13, 1881, the Peruvian army corps faced
the Chilean army. Faced with the Chilean push, the Peruvian forces had to abandon San
Juan and Santa Teresa to reorganize. With reinforcements from the center, the Chileans
managed to defeat the Peruvian defenses of Morro Solar. The battle continued in the
Chorrillos spa where the Peruvians evicted from Morro Solar, Villa, Santa Teresa and San
Juan barricaded themselves in houses and rooftops, supported among others by an
armored train sent from Lima, but were defeated, defeating the first line of defense of
Pierola.
Battle of Miraflores: After the Peruvian defeat of Chorrillos, a truce was agreed in the
Armistice of San Juan to establish conditions that would reestablish peace, but for reasons
not clarified on January 15, the fight began in the second line of defense of Miraflores. The
Peruvian forces initially put considerable pressure on one of the Chilean divisions in the
battle, but with the Chilean counterattack they were overwhelmed and defeated.
Occupation of Lima and Callao: The occupation of Lima by the Chilean army began on
January 17, that same day the forts of Callao and the remaining Peruvian ships of its navy
were destroyed. Order was restored in the capital, in the occupation zones, and activities
were restarted.

Peace
7. Treaty of Ancón: On October 20, the Treaty of Ancón was signed. This agreement
established, among other things, the definitive cession of the Tarapacá region to Chile and
the occupation of the Arica and Tacna provinces for a period of 10 years, after which a
plebiscite would decide whether they remained under the sovereignty of Chile, or if they
returned to Peru, but in the end it never happened and after 40 years (approx.) Tacna was
returned to Peru and Arica was left with Chile.
Truce pact between Bolivia and Chile: Bolivia, after the Peru-Ancón Treaty agreement and
the mobilization of Chilean troops to its border, signed on April 4 the Truce Pact between
Bolivia and Chile of 1884, by which, among others, it accepted the occupation of
Antofagasta by Chile and put end to hostilities.

Loss of Patagonia
Argentina, taking advantage of the War of the Pacific, called the Chilean consulate with an
offer not to interfere in the war against it in exchange for Patagonia. Chile agreed, but the
Strait of Magellan would belong to Chile.

Dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990)

The Chilean military dictatorship was the dictatorial regime established in Chile between
September 11, 1973 and March 11, 1990, and by extension the period of Chilean history in
which said regime was in force is known. This period began with the coup on September
11, 1973 that overthrew the government of President Salvador Allende. The armed forces
and order forces established a Military Government Junta presided over by the
Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Augusto Pinochet, who would become the leader of the
dictatorship throughout its length. The dictatorship ended in 1988 with the plebiscite
made by Pinochet for the people to decide whether to continue Pinochet or to establish
democracy again, with the democratic movement emerging victorious.