History Introduction
Chile is a country widely known for its diverse geography and advances in human rights. An area in which the country is not as well known for is its history. Chile’s demographics and history were both greatly affected by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia. He founded Santiago in 1541, and then went on to drive out the Inca and Mapuche indigenous peoples, winning a large chunk of the Andes, and everything west of the mountain range. As a result of this, Chile’s official language is Spanish, but the language of the Mapuche is still sometimes spoken traditionally. In 1810, Bernardo O’Higgins and José de San Martin led rebel forces against the Spanish in a war lasting until 1818, and eventually gained independence for Chile. In 1973, General Augusto Pinochet lead a coup that eventually took control of the Chilean government. His reign as dictator of Chile was known for many serious human rights violations, including tortures, beheadings, and discrimination. In 1988, the Chilean people overthrew Pinochet, and freely elected a new president. In 2006, Chile made another step in human rights, electing Michelle Bachelet, its first female president. She served from 2006 to 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. Chile continues to be a leader in many areas of human rights.