There are currently 11 different indigenous peoples spread across Chile; the Aymara, Quechua, Atacameno, Kolla, Rapa Nui, Mapuche, Kawesqar, Yagan, Diaguita, Aonikenk, and Selk'nam. There are not many indigenous peoples left but they are protected by Chile's Indigenous Law which allows them to practice their own lifestyles and also allows them to keep their own land free from the public. There are two groups that are especially interesting, the Mapuche and the Rapa Nui.

The number of Mapuchi communities come to about 2,200, although fifty of those are in a state of conflict and are unstable. They are located in the south of Chile, their population makes up about 10 percent of the total poulation of Chile. This group has a rich history of being the fiercist warriors in Chile and really giving the Spaniards a difficult time when they were trying to conquer the area. They are known as 'the people of the earth' and a quote from a website describes their basic belief, which is that there "is a common belief that neither man, animal, nor the most insignificant insect, could live without the grace of the great spirit, which comprises the amalgamation of the celestial family, ELMAPUN, ELCHEN, NGUNEMAPUN and NGUNECHEN, from which the Mapuche family both young and old is enriched. Ancestral beliefs are passed on from generation to generation."

The Rapa Nui are from Easter Island located right off the shore of Chile. There civilization once thrived on the Island however the people there exploited the resources that the land gave them by causing massive deforestation. The people worshipped these huge stone heads and in order to build and move these heads, the Rapa Nui would cut down trees and use them to roll of the heads into place. Unfortunately the trees soon ran out and know there are many concerns that the Rapa Nui will die becuas emany of its people are moving back to the mainland of Chile.

Chile and Pinochet's Military Rule

Chile experienced one of the most brutal military dictatorships beginning in 1973 to 1989. General Augusto Pinochet took control of Chile on September 11, 1973, after initiating a military-coup. The current president of that time was President Allende of the Unidad Popular and called himself the first ‘Marxist.’ He made a lot of progress in terms of making the economy stronger, such as nationalizing certain industries and providing a better education system for the people. Allende was truly a hero for the poor and working classes of Chile. However, Allende and the UP began to change directions and started to give back those same industries to their previous owners and decreased his support for the poor. The public was still loyal to him though, even when the economy really started to take a turn for the worse and the United States CIA was supporting Pinochet. Six days before the military coup lead by Pinochet, citizens were even saluting Allende and asking for arms to protect their government against the coup.
When Pinochet did succeed with his coup, President Allende killed himself and all of those citizens that had supported him were going to be in huge trouble with this new government. Pinochet has been accused of hundreds of human rights violations for murders, beatings, and disappearances of citizens throughout Chile during his rule. Besides his very brutal dealings, Pinochet was known to promote free trade and the regime also slashed government expenditures, eliminated price controls and regulatory functions.
Pinochet left his position after an election in 1989 and losing to a Democratic-Christian. He did however remain behind the scenes in Chilean politics. After securing legal immunity from all of the acts he committed during his rule, he was selected to become a ‘life-long’ senator without the need to be elected. However, in 2000, the Chilean Supreme Court decided to remove his congressional immunity with the opportunity to have lawsuits raised against him. In December 2006, General Pinochet died from heart problems.

General Pinochet

On September 11, 1973, General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, took control of Chile for ruled for nearly two decades and is known as a brutal dictator. He first assumed control of the country after leading a rebellion against the leader at the time, Prseident Slvador Allende, who actually gave Pinochet a leading position withing the military. Due to the way Pinochet overtook control of the country, the public protested vehemently against him and he reacted by repressing the people of Chile. Throughout his political and military career he survives an assasination attempt, commits tax evasion, is accused of many human rights violations, creating laws so that he can hstay in office longer, and gives up his Presidency after losing to a Christian-Democrat leader in 1989. He is an incredibly interesting person! On December 10, 2006, Pinochet died from an earlier heart-attack. The following website has more information on his life and political career. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/augusto_pinochet/index.html?inline=nyt-per

I also found another article that involves Pinochet and the CIA. There were a lot of attempts by the agency to try and change the situation in Chile and the link I have posted shares all of that. http://students/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/americas/09/19/us.cia.chile.ap/

Global Warming in Chile

In order to go along with the major event that Lynchburg College is hosting this week, Focus the Nation, I thought that it would be fitting to talk about one of the most major concerns facing the world today, global warming and climate change. Chile is going to be in a lot of trouble if the increasing threat of global warming continues to grow. Although Chile only contributes a very small percentage compared to the rest of the world in terms of greenhouse gases, they will be feeling the effects the most. This is because the country has a large amount of its land near Antarctica and has many ice fields. If global warming continues to grow at an exponential rate then that ice will melt and Chile will lose hundreds of miles in coastline. Global warming is already affecting local farmers. In an article found in the New York Times, a Chilean farmer had lost about forty percent of his avocado crop due to uncharacteristic frosts. The entire article can be found at this website. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/opinion/23skarmeta.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. 

Gettin Down to the Basics

So, I thought that it would be a good idea to start with the basics of Chile, including its geography, political structure, economy and the major exports and imports. I found most of this information on CIA: World Factbook.

Chile is a very long country that runs down the spine of South America and is a little bit smaller than twice the size of the state of Montana. Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru border Chile. The country boasts many different climates, ranging from a desert in the north, Mediterranean-like climate in the center, and cool and damp in the south. The capital is located in Santiago found in central Chile.

The population is mostly composed two different ethnic groups, white and Amerindian. Roman Catholic reigns king for religion and most of population is literate and speaks Spanish as its major language.

The government is run as a republic with the country celebrating its independence from Spain on September 18th every year. President Michelle Bachelet Jeria was elected on March 11, 2006 and will end her term as President in 2010 after a single four year term. The bicameral National Congress is seperated into the Senate, which holds 38 seats, and the Chamber of Deputies, which has a total of 120 seats. There is also a Supreme Court, which is very similar to the United States because the President appoints the judges and the Senate must approve them.

Its main exports are copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, wine, and chemicals. Its top three main export partners are the U.S., Japan, and China. Chile's main imports are petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, and natural gas with its main leading import partner as the U.S. again. Other import partners include Argentina, Brazil, and China. Chile operates its economy on the Chilean peso and as of January 21, the exchange rate for 1 U.S. dollar would give you 483.45 Chilean pesos.

I think that is a pretty good start in understanding Chile!

First Blog!

My first blog about Chile and its role in Latin American Politics! I must confess that I do not know a lot about the subject but am hoping to post a lot of different materials here in order to understand and appreciate the country's role better.