智利是安第斯山脉与太平洋之间一条长达4000多公里的狭长地带，从阿塔卡马沙漠一直延伸到火地岛；复活节岛也属于智利。北部曾是印加帝国的疆域，而南部的马普切人则抵抗西班牙数百年。该国于1818年独立；1973年至1990年的军事独裁结束后，民主制度得以恢复。
公元前12500年
Monte Verde
A settlement in the south is among the oldest well-dated traces of humans in the Americas.
公元前5000年 – 公元前1500年
Chinchorro mummies
Fishing people on the northern coast mummify their dead, more than two thousand years before the Egyptians.
1470 – 1535
Inca rule in the north
The Inca Empire expands as far as the Maule River; further south the Mapuche hold their ground.
1541
Foundation of Santiago
Pedro de Valdivia founds the city; in the south the centuries-long Arauco War with the Mapuche begins.
1818
Independence
After the Battle of Maipú, Bernardo O'Higgins proclaims independence from Spain.
1879 – 1884
War of the Pacific
Chile defeats Peru and Bolivia and gains the mineral-rich Atacama; Bolivia loses its coast.
1973 – 1990
Coup d'état
The army under Augusto Pinochet deposes President Salvador Allende; thousands of people are murdered or disappear.
1990
Return of democracy
After losing a plebiscite, Pinochet hands power to an elected president.
Geography made Chile an 'island' between desert, mountains, ocean and ice. In colonial times it was a poor outpost of the Viceroyalty of Peru; for centuries the frontier with the Mapuche lay at the Biobío River and was recognised by Spain in treaties.
After independence the country built a relatively stable state, financed by nitrate and later copper. The Mapuche territories were only annexed by force around 1880; the return of land and the recognition of indigenous rights are still a subject of conflict.
公元前5000年 – 1541
From fishers in the desert to canoe people in the fjords: the peoples differed greatly by climate zone. Easter Island was settled from Polynesia around 1200.
1541
Most Chileans have European and indigenous ancestors. About one in ten inhabitants identifies with an indigenous people, usually the Mapuche.
In the Mapuche world view the machi, usually a woman, mediates between people and spirits; at the nguillatun the community prays for balance and a good harvest. On Easter Island the moai stood for deified ancestors who protected the land.
The Catholic Church arrived with the conquerors and remained the state church until 1925. During the dictatorship the Vicariate of Solidarity defended victims of persecution. Since then Pentecostal churches have grown strongly, as has the number of Chileans without religion.
🎨 Moai sculpturec. 1250–1600
On Rapa Nui almost a thousand monolithic statues were carved from volcanic tuff and moved to ceremonial platforms.
🎨 Chilean poetrytwentieth century
Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda both received the Nobel Prize; their work links landscape, love and social commitment.
🎨 Nueva Canción Chilenac. 1960–1973
Violeta Parra and Víctor Jara renewed folk music into protest song; Jara was murdered shortly after the coup.
Fiestas Patrias节庆18–19 September
The national holidays are celebrated in 'fondas' with music, food and kite-flying contests.
Cueca音乐与舞蹈
Couple dance with handkerchiefs imitating the courtship of a rooster and a hen; the national dance since 1979.
We Tripantu仪式around 24 June
The Mapuche New Year at the winter solstice marks the return of the sun.
Rodeo体育与游戏September–April
Two riders, 'huasos', drive a steer against a padded wall in a round arena.
The long coast supplies fish and shellfish, the central valley maize, wheat, fruit and wine. Indigenous crops such as maize, potato and beans combined with Spanish ingredients; German immigrants brought pastries and beer to the south.
The Mapuche grew potatoes, maize, beans and quinoa and gathered the pine nuts of the araucaria; Chiloé is regarded as one of the areas of origin of the potato. The Spaniards brought wheat, cattle, pigs and the vine, which thrived in the central valley.
The cold Humboldt Current makes the coast exceptionally rich in fish, with species of its own such as the congrio and the sea urchin. In the nineteenth century German settlers in the south brought 'kuchen' and breweries, and French winemakers laid the basis for modern wine exports.
Empanada de pino街头小吃
Oven-baked pastry with beef, onion, olive, raisins and hard-boiled egg.
起源: Spanish in origin; 'pino' comes from the Mapuche word pirru.
Pastel de choclo主菜
Casserole of minced beef and chicken under a layer of ground fresh maize.
起源: Colonial period; summer dish of the central valley.
Curanto主菜
Shellfish, meat and potatoes cooked on hot stones in a pit under large leaves.
起源: Chiloé archipelago; the technique is thousands of years old.
Cazuela汤
Clear soup with a large piece of meat, squash, maize and potato.
起源: Blend of the Spanish olla with indigenous stews.
资料来源： Chile — Encyclopaedia Britannica · UNESCO World Heritage: Settlement and Artificial Mummification of the Chinchorro Culture