About 10, 000 years ago, migrating Indigenous Peoples
of the Americas settled in fertile valleys and along
the coast of what is now Chile. The Incas briefly extended
their empire into what is now northern Chile, but the
area's barrenness prevented extensive settlement.
In 1520, while attempting to circumnavigate the earth,
the Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan, discovered the southern
passage now named after him, the Strait of Magellan.
The next Europeans to reach Chile were Diego de Almagro
and his band of Spanish conquistadors, who came from
Peru in 1535 seeking gold.
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The conquest of Chile began in earnest in 1540 and was carried
out by Pedro de Valdivia, who founded the city of Santiago.
Although the Spanish did not find the extensive gold they
sought, they recognized the agricultural potential of Chile's
central valley, and Chile became part of the Viceroyalty of
Peru.
Conquest of the land that is today called Chile took place
only gradually, and the Europeans suffered repeated setbacks
at the hands of the local population. A massive native insurrection
that began in 1553 resulted in the destruction of many of
the colony's principal settlements. Each time the native groups
revolted, the southern border of the colony was driven northward.
The abolition of slavery in 1683 defused tensions on the frontier
between the colony and the native land to the south, and permitted
increased trade between colonists and the natives.
The drive for independence from Spain was precipitated by
the creation of a national junta. The junta proclaimed Chile
an autonomous republic within the Spanish. A movement for
total independence soon won a wide following. Spanish attempts
to re-impose rule led to a prolonged struggle.
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Toward the end of the 19th century, the government
in Santiago consolidated its position in the south by
ruthlessly suppressing the Indians. In, it signed a
treaty with Argentina confirming Chilean sovereignty
over the Strait of Magellan. As a result of the War
of the Pacific with Peru and Bolivia, Chile expanded
its territory northward by almost one-third, eliminating
Bolivia's access to the Pacific, and acquired valuable
nitrate deposits, the exploitation of which led to an
era of national affluence. The Chilean Civil War in
1891 established a parliamentary style democracy. However,
the Civil War had also been a contest between those
who favored the development of local industries and
powerful Chilean banking interests.
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From the 1920s' onwards, there have been years of political
instability followed by years of peace and prosperity. Chile
recently elected its first woman president in 2006.
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