Basque Chileans

The Basque presence in Chile began in the Conquista period, for in the armies of the first colonizers came an important number of soldiers from the Basque Provinces and from Navarra. In the 16th century, of the 157 Peninsular families that settled in Chile, 39 had Basque surnames. This number progressively grew, as reflected in the number of governors of Basque origin.

Forms a regional immigration corridor between Spain and Chile, one that is large, visible, and continues over time. Basque immigration can be divided into historical periods: discovery, foundation, and colonial period; the wave of immigration of the 18th century; and the recent immigrants (19th and 20th centuries).

During the 18th century, the country experimented a mass immigration coming from the Basque provinces and Navarre, by the end of the 18th century represents 27% of the Chilean population.[10] This raised the Basques to being the most important regional group in the population, displacing the natives and descendants of those born in New Castile, Old Castile, and Andalucía. These immigrant families initially dedicated themselves to their preferred form of business, and in successive years produced many alliances with families of Castilian origin possessing lands and titles, giving birth to a new social group known in Chilean history as the Castilian-Basque aristocracy; others integrated with mestizo middle class.

In the second half of the 19th century came a new wave of Basque immigration, this time as much from the Spanish regions as the French. This migratory flood are extended until the end of the Spanish Civil War.

A list of well known Chileans of Basque descendence is too great to name but the following shows a short list of some.

• Pedro Aguirre Cerda,[11] President of Chile (1938–1941)
• Isabel Allende,[12] writer
• Salvador Allende,[13] President of Chile (1970–1973)
• Maricarmen Arrigorriaga,[14] actress
• José Manuel Balmaceda,[15] President of Chile (1886–1891)
• Manuel Baquedano,[16] Commander-in-chief of the Chilean Army during the War of the Pacific
• Juan Guzman Cruchaga (1895–1979) was a Chilean poet and diplomat. He won the Chilean National Prize for Literature in 1962
• Alberto Blest Gana,[17] writer and diplomat
• Felipe Camiroaga,[18] actor and TV host
• Javiera Carrera,[19] patriot
• José Miguel Carrera,[20] Army general, President of the Government Junta and hero of the War of Chilean Independence
• Federico Errázuriz Zañartu,[21] President of Chile (1871–1876)
• Domingo Eyzaguirre,[22] politician
• Lucho Gatica, Bolero singer, actor and television host of Chilean Basque descent
• Alejandro Gorostiaga,[23] Army officer
• Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga,[24] Jesuit priest and saint
• Marta Larraechea,[25] former First Lady of Chile (1994–2000)
• Alberto Larraguibel,[26] Army officer and equestrian
• Fernando Larraín,[27] actor
• Hernán Larraín,[28] politician
• María Eugenia Larraín,[29] model
• Roberto Matta Echaurren,[30] painter
• Pablo Neruda,[31] poet and Nobel laureate
• Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme,[32] Army general, Supreme Director and hero of the War of Chilean Independence
• Augusto Pinochet Ugarte,[33] Army General and military dictator (1973–1990)
• Sebastián Piñera Echenique,[34] President of Chile (2010–2014, 2018–2022)
• Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza,[35] guerrilla fighter and hero of the War of Chilean Independence
• Fernando Solabarrieta,[36] journalist and sports commentator
• Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna,[37] politician, historian and writer
• Paz Yrarrázaval,[38] actress
• Adolfo Zaldívar,[39] politician
• Andrés Zaldívar,[39] politician
• Aníbal Zañartu,[40] politician

• Allende family[12]
• Balmaceda family[15]
• Carrera family[41]
• Cruchaga family
• Dagorret family
• Larraín family[42]
• Vergara family

• Italian Chilean
• British Chilean
• German Chilean

• Imaginarios vascos desde Chile La construcción de imaginarios vascos en Chile durante el siglo XX