Argentines in Chile consists of mainly of immigrants and expatriates from Argentina as well as their locally born descendants. In 2022, they constituted approximately 85,202 inhabitants, making up approximately 6.5% of the population. In terms of population, the Argentines in Chile are largest Argentine community in Latin America, and one of the largest communities outside of Argentina, occupying third place only behind the United States and Spain.

History

Argentine immigration to Chile is a long-standing phenomenon that dates back to the Independence of Chile and the time of the Army of the Andes. The first Argentines arrived when the Organization of the Republic of Chile was launched in 1823 after Independence, as were the cases of Cornelio Saavedra,

Estanislao Lynch Estanislao José Antonio Lynch y Roo, was a Argentine naval officer and wealthy Argentine, the brother of the famous landowner of the "Rio de la Plata" captain Patricio Lynch and the grandson of an Irish immigrant, Patrick Lynch. Estanislao was t ...

, Juan Gregorio Las Heras, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and

Bartolomé Mitre Bartolomé Mitre Martínez (26 June 1821 – 19 January 1906) was an Argentine statesman, soldier and author. He was President of Argentina from 1862 to 1868 and the first president of unified Argentina. Mitre is known as the most versatile ...

. The largest number of arrivals of Argentine immigrants to Chile occurred in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. After the

Revolución Libertadora ''Revolución Libertadora'' (; ''Liberating Revolution'') was the coup d'état that ended the second presidential term of Juan Perón in Argentina, on 16 September 1955. Background President Perón was first elected in 1946. In 1949, a ...

in the trans-Andean country, the president of Chile, Carlos Ibáñez del Campo granted the status of political asylum to dozens of exiles. According to the "migration profile of Chile" prepared by the International Organization for Migration, Argentine immigration is the oldest Latin American immigration in Chile, since more than 60% of the Argentine population had arrived in Chilean territory before 1995. According to A 2009 survey, 15% of Argentines arrived before 1969, 5% in the 1970s, 22% in the 1980s, 39% in the 90s and 19% after 2000. As a result of the economic and social crisis that occurred in Argentina at the end of 2001, there was a massive exodus of Argentines abroad, including Chile. Part of the emigrants to Chile were Chilean families with Chilean children born on Argentine soil.

Notable people

Fermín Vivaceta Fermín Vivaceta Rupio (January 12, 1829 – February 21, 1890) was a Chilean architect, teacher and firefighter. Life Vivaceta was born in Santiago, Chile on January 12, 1829. He was son of Fermín Vivaceta, an Argentinean citizen residing in C ...

, architect, teacher and firefighter (born in Santiago) (

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

citizen father). * Benito Cerati, singer, musician and composer (born in Santiago) (

father). * Patricio Lynch, lieutenant in the Royal Navy and a rear admiral in the Chilean Navy (born in Valparaíso) (

Irish-Argentine Irish Argentines are Argentine citizens who are fully or partially of Irish descent. Irish emigrants from the Midlands, Wexford and many counties of Ireland arrived in Argentina mainly from 1830 to 1930, with the largest wave taking place in 1 ...

father). * Matías Fernández, Argentine-born soccer player (born in

Caballito Caballito (; Spanish for "little horse") is a ''barrio'' (neighborhood) of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires. It is the only ''barrio'' in the administrative division ''Comuna'' 6. It is located in the geographical centre of the city, limited ...

) (

mother). *

José Zapiola José Zapiola Cortés (1802–1885) was a Chilean musician, composer and orchestra conductor. Life Zapiola was born in Santiago, the illegitimate son of the Argentinian lawyer Bonifacio Zapiola y Lezica and of the Chilean Carmen Cortés. He early ...

, musician, composer and orchestra conductor (born in Santiago) (

father). *

Enriqueta Pinto Enriqueta Pinto Garmendia (1817 — 26 December 1904)Virgilio Figueroa. Diccionario histórico, biográfico y bibliográfico de Chile, t.4-5, p.523, Balcells, Santiago de Chile, 1931 was First Lady of Chile and the wife of President Manuel Bul ...

, Argentine-born First Lady of Chile and the wife of President

Manuel Bulnes Manuel Bulnes Prieto (; December 25, 1799 – October 18, 1866) was a Chilean military and political figure. He was twice President of Chile, from 1841 to 1846 and from 1846 to 1851. Born in Concepción, he served as the president of Chile bet ...

(born in Tucumán).

History

Notable people

References

See also