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Basques The Basques ( or ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...
arrived in Chile in the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and early 20th century from their homeland in northern Spain (see Basque Provinces) and parts of southwestern France, as
conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...
s, soldiers, sailors, merchants, priests and labourers. Due to their traditional hard work and entrepreneurship, many of them rose to the top of the social scale and intermarried into the Chilean elites of Castilian descent, giving birth to the new Basque-Chilean aristocracy in Chile. This union is the basis of the Chilean elite of today. But also, they immensely contributed to the ethnic make up of the bulk of the Chilean population. The Basque settlers also intermarried into the Mestizo and Castizo population of central Chile in the middle of the colonial period to form the large Criollo population that exists in Chile today; Castizos create modern middle and lower classes. Many years after the first waves of settlers, thousands of Basque refugees fleeing
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
in 1939 also settled and have many descendants in the country and have even intermarried with Spanish ethnic groups other than Castilians, and other
European ethnic groups Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common ancestry, language, faith, historical continuity, etc. There are ...
. An estimated 1.6 million (10%) to 5 million (30%) Chileans have a surname (one or both) of Basque origin. This figure is to the least as the number of Basque descendence is great and plentiful. Due to Basque migration, Chile has a higher number of people of Basque descent than the Basque Country itself.
Miguel de Unamuno Miguel de Unamuno y Jugo (; ; 29 September 1864 – 31 December 1936) was a Spanish essayist, novelist, poet, playwright, philosopher, professor of Greek and Classics, and later rector at the University of Salamanca. His major philosophical ...
once said: "There are at least two things that clearly can be attributed to the Basques: the
Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...
and the
Republic of Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Oce ...
."


History

The Basque presence in
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
began in the
Conquista The Spanish colonization of the Americas began in 1493 on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) after the initial 1492 voyage of Genoese mariner Christopher Columbus under license from Queen Isabella I of C ...
period, for in the armies of the first colonizers came an important number of soldiers from the Basque Provinces and from
Navarra Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
. In the 16th century, of the 157 Peninsular families that settled in Chile, 39 had Basque
surnames In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several giv ...
. This number progressively grew, as reflected in the number of governors of Basque origin. Forms a regional immigration corridor between Spain and Chile, one that is large, visible, and continues over time. Basque immigration can be divided into historical periods:
discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...
, foundation, and colonial period; the wave of immigration of the 18th century; and the recent immigrants (19th and 20th centuries). During the 18th century, the country experimented a mass immigration coming from the Basque provinces and
Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...
, by the end of the 18th century represents 30% of the Chilean population. This raised the Basques to being the most important regional group in the population, displacing the natives and descendants of those born in New Castile,
Old Castile Old Castile ( ) is a historic region of Spain, which had different definitions across the centuries. Its extension was formally defined in the 1833 territorial division of Spain as the sum of the following provinces: Santander (now Cantabria ...
, and
Andalucía Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
. These immigrant families initially dedicated themselves to their preferred form of business, and in successive years produced many alliances with families of Castilian origin possessing lands and titles, giving birth to a new social group known in Chilean history as the Castilian-Basque aristocracy; others integrated with the castizo middle class. In the second half of the 19th century came a new wave of Basque immigration, this time as much from the Spanish regions as the French. This migratory flood are extended until the end of the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
.


Notable Basque-Chileans

A list of well known Chileans of Basque descendence is too great to name but the following shows a short list of some. *
Pedro Aguirre Cerda Pedro Abelino Aguirre Cerda (; February 6, 1879 – November 25, 1941) was a Chilean political figure, educator, and lawyer who served as the 22nd president of Chile from 1938 until his death in 1941. He was Political moderate, moderate. A me ...
, President of Chile (1938–1941) * Isabel Allende, writer *
Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 1970 until Death of Salvador Allende, his death in 1973 Chilean coup d'état, 1973. As a ...
, President of Chile (1970–1973) * Maricarmen Arrigorriaga, actress * José Manuel Balmaceda, President of Chile (1886–1891) *
Pedro Pascal José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal (; born April 2, 1975) is a Chilean and American actor. After nearly two decades of taking small roles on stage and television, Pascal had his breakthrough role, breakout role as Oberyn Martell in the Game of Thr ...
, actor * Manuel Baquedano, Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army during the War of the Pacific * Juan Guzman Cruchaga (1895–1979) was a Chilean poet and diplomat. He won the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 1962 * Alberto Blest Gana, writer and diplomat * Felipe Camiroaga, actor and TV host * Javiera Carrera, patriot *
José Miguel Carrera José Miguel Carrera Verdugo (; October 15, 1785 – September 4, 1821) was a Chilean general, formerly Spanish military, member of the prominent Carrera family, and considered one of the founders of independent Chile. Carrera was the most impor ...
, Army general, President of the Government Junta and hero of the War of Chilean Independence * Federico Errázuriz Zañartu, President of Chile (1871–1876) * Domingo Eyzaguirre, politician *
Lucho Gatica Luis Enrique Gatica Silva (11 August 1928 – 13 November 2018),
''The New York Times''. Retriev ...
,
Bolero Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...
singer, actor and television host of Chilean Basque descent * Alejandro Gorostiaga, Army officer * Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, Jesuit priest and saint * Marta Larraechea, former First Lady of Chile (1994–2000) * Alberto Larraguibel, Army officer and equestrian * Fernando Larraín, actor * Hernán Larraín, politician * María Eugenia Larraín, model * Roberto Matta Echaurren, painter *
Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda ( ; ; born Ricardo Eliécer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto; 12 July 190423 September 1973) was a Chilean poet-diplomat and politician who won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Literature. Neruda became known as a poet when he was 13 years old an ...
,''Possible Paradises'', Basque Emigration to Latin America By ''José Manuel Azcona Pastor.'' poet and Nobel laureate * Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, Army general, Supreme Director and hero of the War of Chilean Independence *
Augusto Pinochet Ugarte Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader of the military junta, which i ...
, Army General and military dictator (1973–1990) * Sebastián Piñera Echenique, President of Chile (2010–2014, 2018–2022) * Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza, guerrilla fighter and hero of the War of Chilean Independence * Fernando Solabarrieta, journalist and sports commentator * Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna, politician, historian and writer * Paz Yrarrázaval, actress * Adolfo Zaldívar, politician * Andrés Zaldívar, politician *
Aníbal Zañartu Aníbal Zañartu Zañartu (; 12 April 1847 – 1 February 1902) was a Chilean political figure. He served several times as minister and, for a brief time, as vice president in 1901. He was a member of the Liberal Party. Early life He was born ...
, politician


Notable Basque-Chilean families

* Allende family *
Balmaceda family The Balmaceda family of Chile became politically influential during the 19th century, and played a very significant role in Chilean politics. The Balmaceda family is of Basque people, Basque descent. They are members of the Castilian-Basque aristo ...
* Carrera family * Larraín family * Vergara family


See also

* Italian Chilean * British Chilean * German Chilean


References


External links


Imaginarios vascos desde Chile La construcción de imaginarios vascos en Chile durante el siglo XX
{{Ethnic groups in Chile
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
European diaspora in Chile