English Chileans (
Spanish: ''Anglochilenos'') are citizens of
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 ...
who are descended from
English people
The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language in England, English language, a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language, and share a common history and culture. The English identi ...
who have emigrated. They are estimated to number 550,000-820,000 (5%-6% of the national population).
Since the
Port of Valparaíso opened its coasts to free trade in 1811, the English began to congregate in
Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
. The first to arrive brought with them tools, articles of china, wool and cotton, with instructions to return with copper and hemp. This was the first exchange of what would become a deep-rooted commercial relationship between the UK and
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 ...
.
In
Valparaíso
Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...
they constructed their largest and most important colony, bringing with them neighborhoods of English character, schools, social,
sports clubs,
business organizations
A business entity is an entity that is formed and administered as per corporate law in order to engage in business activities, charitable work, or other activities allowable. Most often, business entities are formed to sell a product or a servi ...
and
periodicals
A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a Academic journal, journal ...
. This influence is apparent in unique areas of Chilean society today, such as the bank and the national marina, as well as in certain social activities popular in the country, such as
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, horse racing, and drinking
tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...
.
The English eventually numbered more than 32,000 during the port of Valparaíso's boom period during the
saltpeter bonanza at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. The British colonial influence is important to understanding the boom and bust of the port of Valparaíso.
The English colony was also important in the northern zone of the country during the saltpeter boom, in the ports of
Iquique and
Pisagua. The ''King of Saltpeter'',
John Thomas North
John Thomas North (30 January 1842 – 5 May 1896) was an English investor and businessman. North was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, the son of a coal merchant and a churchwarden. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to millwrights and engine ...
, was the principal backer of nitrate mining. The English legacy was reflected in the streets of the historic district of the city of
Iquique, with the foundation of various institutions, such as the Club Hípico (Racing Club). Nevertheless, said presence came to an end with the saltpeter crisis during the 1930s.
An important contingent of English immigrants also settled in the present-day region of
Magallanes. In the same way, they established English families in other areas of the country, such as
Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
,
Coquimbo, the
Araucanía, and
Chiloé.
Notable people
*
John Williams Wilson
John Williams Wilson (1798–1857), also known as Juan Guillermos, was an English- Chilean sailor and politician. Born in Bristol, he entered the newly founded Chilean navy in 1824 and rose to the rank of commander. He was appointed governor of ...
*
Robert Winthrop Simpson
Roberto Simpson Winthrop (14 December 1799 – 23 December 1877), was a sailor of British origin, nationalized Chilean, who made a career in the Chilean Navy from 1818 and reached the rank of rear-admiral in 1852. Distinguished himself du ...
*
Ignacio Walker
Ignacio Walker Prieto (born 7 January 1956) is a Chilean lawyer, politician, and, author who was Foreign Minister of Chile (2004–2006).
Academic, Legal, and Political History
Upon Walker's graduation from the University of Chile in 1978, he j ...
*
Patricio Aylwin,
Chilean president’s Welsh links undone by genealogy
/ref> former President of Chile
The president of Chile ( es, Presidente de Chile), officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile ( es, Presidente de la República de Chile), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is re ...
* Francisco Hudson
* Juan Pablo Bennett
Division General Juan Pablo Bennett Argandoña (January 25, 1871 – August 12, 1951) was a Chilean military officer and member of the Government Junta of Chile (1924), Government Junta that ruled Chile between 1924 and 1925.
Juan Pablo Bennett wa ...
* Julio Canessa Roberts
* Joaquín Edwards Bello
* Agustín Edwards Mac Clure
Agustín is a Spanish given name and sometimes a surname. It is related to Augustín. People with the name include:
Given name
* Agustín (footballer), Spanish footballer
* Agustín Calleri (born 1976), Argentine tennis player
* Agustín Cár ...
* Jorge Edwards
Jorge Edwards Valdés (born June 29, 1931) is a Chilean novelist, journalist and diplomat. He was the Chilean ambassador to France during the first Piñera presidency.
Life and career
Edwards attended Law School at the Universidad de Chile.
Du ...
* Alejandro Foxley
Alejandro Tomás Foxley Rioseco (born 26 May 1939 in Viña del Mar) is a Chilean economist and politician. He was the Foreign Minister of Chile from 2006 to 2009 and previously served as Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1994 and leader of the ...
* Dominique Gallego Williams
* Laurence Golborne
Laurence Nelson Golborne Riveros (born Lorence Nelson Golborne Riveros Santiago, July 11, 1961) is a Chilean engineer and entrepreneur. He was minister of public works until November 7, 2012, when he announced his decision to run for President o ...
* Marmaduke Grove
Marmaduke Grove Vallejo (; July 6, 1878 – May 15, 1954), his name erroneously spelled Marmaduque Grobeh, was a Chilean Air Force officer, political figure and member of the Government Junta of the Socialist Republic of Chile in 1932.
Early lif ...
* Luis Eduardo Hicks
* Stewart Iglehart
Stewart Birrell Iglehart (February 22, 1910 – December 19,1993) was a rancher, ice hockey and polo player. He was born in Valparaíso, Chile but moved to the United States at a young age. As a child he learned to play both ice hockey and p ...
* Gustavo Leigh
Air General Gustavo Leigh Guzmán (September 19, 1920 – September 29, 1999) was a Chilean general, who represented the Air Force in the 1973 Chilean coup d'état and, for a time, in the ruling junta that followed. Leigh was forced out of th ...
* Bernardo Leighton
Bernardo Leighton Guzmán (August 16, 1909, Negrete, Bío Bío Province – January 26, 1995, Santiago) was a Chilean Christian Democratic Party politician and lawyer. He served as minister of state under three presidents over a 36-year care ...
* Ofelia Martner
* Ana Reeves
* Felipe Seymour
Felipe Ignacio Seymour Dobud (born 23 July 1987) is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Chilean Primera División club Universidad de Chile.
Club career
Early career
Born in Pirque, Santiago, Chile, Seymour ...
* Robert Winthrop Simpson
Roberto Simpson Winthrop (14 December 1799 – 23 December 1877), was a sailor of British origin, nationalized Chilean, who made a career in the Chilean Navy from 1818 and reached the rank of rear-admiral in 1852. Distinguished himself du ...
* Robert Souper Howard
Colonel Robert Souper Howard (September 9, 1818 – January 13, 1881) was a Chilean soldier, although born in England, who served in the Chilean Army during most of the War of the Pacific.
Early life
He was born in Harwich, England, the son of W ...
* Roberto Souper
Roberto Federico Souper Onfray (2 May 1927 – 24 August 2015) was a Chilean military officer who launched an unsuccessful coup d'état against the Allende administration, surrounding the presidential palace with a tank regiment. Twenty-two c ...
* María Elena Swett
María Elena Swett Urquieta is a Chilean actress.
Early life
She was born in Santiago on April 11, 1979. She studied at Colegio Nuestra Señora del Pilar and later at the ''Academia de Humanidades de Recoleta''. Later, she studied theater at ...
* Sussan Taunton Thomas
* Willy Topp
Willy Adolfo Topp Bravo (born 4 March 1986), sometimes also known as Billy Topp, is a Chilean football manager and former association football, footballer who played as a Forward (soccer), striker. Topp has also been involved with the youth level ...
* Carlos Villanueva Roland
* Juan Williams
* Alexander Bryan Witt
* Andrés Wood
Australian prime minister Chris Watson
John Christian Watson (born Johan Cristian Tanck; 9 April 186718 November 1941) was an Australian politician who served as the third prime minister of Australia, in office from 27 April to 18 August 1904. He served as the inaugural federal lead ...
was born in Valparaíso to British and German-Chilean
German Chileans ( es, germanochilenos; german: Deutsch-Chilenen) are Chileans descended from German immigrants, about 30,000 of whom arrived in Chile between 1846 and 1914. Most of these were from Bavaria, Baden and the Rhineland, and also from ...
parents.
See also
*British Chilean
British Chileans are Chilean residents with fully or partial antecedents from the British Isles. The British have been very important in the formation of the Chilean nation. They include Chileans of English, Scottish, Ulster Scots, Irish and ...
References
{{Ethnic groups in Chile
European Chilean