Spanish immigration to Chile

Spanish Chileans (in Spanish: Chileno-español) refer more often to Chileans of post-independence Spanish immigrant descent, as they have retained a Spanish cultural identity. People of pre-independence Spanish descent are usually not considered Spanish Chileans even though they form a large majority of the Chilean population and have Spanish surnames and ancestry. This is because they rejected Spanish identity for the emergent Chilean one on the eve of national independence.

Contents

• Notable Spanish Chileans
• List of Spanish cultural centres and other institutions in Chile
• References

The earliest European immigrants were Spanish colonisers who arrived in the 16th century. They came to form the majority of the population by the time of Chilean independence. They came mainly from Castile and Andalusia and formed the majority population. The Amerindian population of central Chile was absorbed into the Spanish setter population in the beginning of the colonial period to form the large mestizo population that exists in Chile today. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many Basques from both Spain and France came to Chile where they integrated into the existing elites of Castilian origin. Other European nationalities then followed and also became rich and fused with each other and the Basque-Castilian elite to create modern middle and upper classes. At the beginning of the Guano era in 1840s, one of Peru's most prosperous time periods, immigration from Spain greatly increased and the economy was booming and standard of living was high. This era ended in 1866 with the Chincha Islands War wherein anti-Spanish sentiments in Peru also arose in Chile and in which Peru emerged victorious. In the 20th century, there was an influx of refugees of the Spanish Civil War and Franco's regime.(see Winnipeg ship) They have kept their Spanish national identity and set up Spanish clubs throughout the country. The Spanish culture of the original settlers slowly evolved into Chilean folk culture, especially the huaso one, and at the time of independence had abandoned national affiliation with Spain.

Today, most Chileans have predominantly Spanish/Basque ancestry. However, unlike most other Spanish-American countries, very few buildings were built by Spaniards during the colonial period. One or two colonial buildings from the later stage of Spanish domination might still be standing in a few cities in central Chile. However, there are two small towns in Chile whose city centre is dominated by Spanish architecture, Cobquecura, near Concepcion, and Yerbas Buenas, near Linares. Because of this exception to the rule, they are protected by the Chilean government as 'places of architectural heritage'. Most houses are American in style, while the old public buildings are French and the newer ones are based on American skycrapers.