Mummies found in the northern part of Chile have been estimated at 7500 BC from the Las Conchas peoples. There were signs of agriculture as early as 2500 BC Because of the elements of salt, dryness, and the skill of preserving, some tombs have been opened with the contents (such as textiles, bodies, wood, food, etc.) perfectly preserved. The native Atacameno and Diaghuita farmers were estimated at 80,000 strong, and obviously predated the Incas by centuries.

The Incas made their way south in the mid-15th century, coming as far as the present day Santiago. The Incas dominated their region north of Santiago, but met serious opposition from the Araucanian Indians when they tried to progress any further. In fact, these Mapuche Indians maintained an effective resistance until the end of the 19th century. At this point in history, the Auaucanian Indians were estimated at a million strong, but were composed of 3 different tribes with the same language but distinct cultural customs.

The first Spaniard to see Chile was Ferdinand Magellan, but it wasn't until just before Pizarro's assassination in 1541 that Pedro de Valdivia was assigned the task of conquering Chile.

Valdivia founded Santiago in 1541, and later Valparaiso, La Serena, Concepcion, and Valdivia. The primary goal of the conquistadores was the extraction of silver and gold to be returned to Spain. However, they soon realized that the true wealth of the Indians (in their eyes) was the ready source of labor. The Spanish overlords worked the Indians mercilessly in the mines and agricultural endeavors. This system broke down, however, when the native populations were drastically reduced--some by 95%--by European diseases. In order to convince his followers to stay, Valdivia rewarded them with large tracts of land, which basically became feudal estates--many of which remained intact until the 1960's and land reform, with the mestizos taking the place of Indians as tenant farmers.

The Independence drive began in the early 1800's, and Bernardo O'Higgins became Supreme Dictator of the Chilean republic in 1818. At this point, Chile was much smaller than its present size, although it included a portion of what is now Argentina's Pantagonia. The Constitution centralized power in Santiago, established Catholicism as the religion, and limited voting to the literate, propertied males.

The War of the Pacific, fought in 1879-83, added land from Peru and Bolivia, and brought Chile to its present size. This acquisition proved extremely valuable in the nitrate mines, and later, those of copper.

In 1886, Balmaceda was the first to attack the dilemma of maldistributed wealth and power. However, the wealth remained in the hands of the mine owners (often North American companies during 1900-20) and land owners. At this point, 75% of Chile's rural population depended on the hacienda system, which controlled 80% of the prime agricultural land.

This situation remained static, as landowners controlled the peasant vote through the fifties. Once the rural peasants and the urban poor were mobilized, the political stability of Chile wavered, and the population moved into the radical opposites of the political spectrum. The bloody coup of 1973 resulted in the death of Salvador Allende, and Augusto Pinochet took over as military dictator. The plebiscite in 1989 brought Chile back to democracy, where it remains today.

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