Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, the Castilian-Basque aristocracy ( es, aristocracia castellano-vasca) formed the

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

and political elite of the country after gaining

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in the early

19th century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolis ...

. Despite the abolition of

noble titles Traditional rank amongst European monarch, royalty, peerage, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anot ...

in 1817 and the mayorazgo inheritance institution in 1852, the social status of this group remained largely unaffected. Although the over-representation of people of Castilian-Basque ancestry in the

National Congress of Chile The National Congress of Chile ( es, Congreso Nacional de Chile) is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Chile. The National Congress of Chile was founded on July 4, 1811. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Cham ...

has declined since the 19th century, they still hold a significant presence. These individuals are particularly concentrated in the affluent northeastern zone of Santiago, where they, along with other high socio-economic status individuals, display characteristics of an

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

History

This term, coined by historian

Francisco Antonio Encina Francisco Antonio Encina Armanet (September 10, 1874, San Javier – August 23, 1965, Santiago) was a Chilean politician, agricultural businessman, political essayist, historian and prominent white nationalist. He authored the ''History of Chile ...

, refers to the union between the dominant group of the local social system of Castilian origin and certain immigrants from the Basque Country who managed to amass considerable fortunes in Chile. The Castilian aristocracy was formed by the descendants of the conquerors of Chile and by Spaniards who regularly arrived to settle in the country. The Spanish crown entrusted this group with the exercise of power in its overseas provinces. By the

18th century The 18th century lasted from January 1, 1701 ( MDCCI) to December 31, 1800 ( MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. During the century, slave trad ...

, this group had consolidated as a landowning and commercial aristocracy. During the 18th century, many of the Spaniards who came to Chile to work in the colonial administration or commerce were Basques. Thanks to their austere character and commercial ties with the peninsula, many of these immigrants amassed considerable fortunes. They began to establish marital ties with the local elite, who were owners of large land holdings and possessors of social prestige. This group quickly consolidated as the dominant social class in the second half of the 18th century, retaining their position throughout the 19th century and the first half of the

20th century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nuclear ...

. As a way of consolidating their power, it was common for this group to buy noble titles or orders of chivalry and establish entailments that allowed them to keep large properties without the need to divide them. The main settlement center of this group was in the north and central-southern area of the country, from La Serena, passing through Santiago to Concepción, coinciding with the borders of the

Captaincy General of Chile The Captaincy General of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ) or Governorate of Chile (known colloquially and unofficially as the Kingdom of Chile), was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1817 that was, for most of its existenc ...

. In addition to their open support for the emancipatory movement in the early 19th century, the influence of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy was such that it could be said that the basis of Chilean institutionalism in the 19th and 20th centuries mostly obeyed their direct influence. Despite the abolition of noble titles in 1817 and entailments in 1852, the position of these families in the Chilean social system did not change until well into the 20th century. In fact, even today, some of these families continue to hold their noble titles, possess great fortunes, and have an important political influence in modern-day Chile.

References

{{reflist Castilians

European Chilean Upper class Politics of Chile Social class in Chile Chilean nobility