History Of Chile
Due to its location and geography, Chile was mostly unknown to the outside world until the middle of the 15th century. |
Under the dynamic leadership of Tupac Yupanqui, the Inca army managed to cross the Atacama Desert and reaching the central valley that was lush and green unlike the 600 mile stretch of the desert. Here the Inca army encountered the Mapuche, who were one of the three Araucanian tribes living in the region.However, the Mapuche defeated the Incas, who could not cross the Rio Maule into the Lake District. So, the Incas decided to settle down in the land that they had already acquired rather than fight the Mapuche people.
Then, nearly a century later, the Spanish moved into the central valley using the same path that the Incas had taken when the left Peru. The Spanish, under Pedro de Valdivia, set up a town, which is the present day Santiago. They then defeated the Mapuche and took over the land occupied by them. This would explain why the Mapuche people beheaded Valdivia in 1553 after tying him to a tree.
For the next 400 years, the Spanish army maintained a stronghold in the central valley, ensuring that ample troops were stationed there. During this period, the people were allowed to trade with Peru, but this also saw a rise in smuggling and privateering.
In 1817, Chile finally gained its independence from Spain after waging a war for 7 years. The Mapuche region, which was located in the south, did not want to be part of the new Chile. So, using their army and artillery, the Mapuche managed to hold onto their autonomy until the middle of the century. However, slowly armed settlers moved into the Mapuche region, and the region was taken over by the Chilean government.
Once Chile gained independence from Spain, it brought about some semblance of democracy in the country. However, Chile's political history has been anything but smooth. Today, it is a different story. Chile is considered to be quite stable, but there is always underlying tension between the Chilean government and the military.
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