The Chilling History of Chile Trivia Quiz

Answer: February 12, 1818

The Chilean War of Independence started on 18 September, 1810, between the patriots and the royalists. After a series of battles over several years, on February 12, 1817, the Battle of Chacabuco resulted in a heavy defeat for the royalists. The formal ceremony for the Declaration of Independence was set on the first anniversary of that battle.

Answer: Santiago

Santiago, the capital of Chile, was founded by Pedro de Valdivia on February 12, 1541. Concepción was also founded by him, but a decade later. La Serena was founded in 1544 by Juan Bohon, on orders from de Valdivia. Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina and it was established in 1536.

Answer: True

Unfortunately, Chile has a long history of major earthquakes. In this case, the 1570 Concepción earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 8.3, was accompanied by a tsunami and cost the lives of more than 2,000 people. The 1575 Valdivia earthquake had a magnitude of 8.5, and the exact number of casualties is unknown.

Answer: Arauco War

The Mapuche people were called Araucanians by the Spaniards. This term is generally considered pejorative today.
The Arauco War started from the colonization of Chile and lasted until the War of Independence in the early 19th century.

Answer: It achieved maritime dominance in the Pacific

The War of the Confederation was between the Peru-Bolivian Confederation on one hand, against Chile and Argentina, on the other. It ended with the defeat of the Confederation.

Answer: Conflicts between the President and the Congress

Disagreements and tension had started rising in the years before 1891 between President Jose Manuel Balmaceda and the Congress. On January 1, 1891, Balmaceda announced that the budget of 1890 would be considered the official budget for 1891. His opponents considered this action illegal and refused to recognize his authority any longer.

A civil war broke out, with the Army supporting the President and the Navy supporting the Congress. Eventually, the presidential forces were defeated.

Answer: False

Despite there being several juntas throughout Chile's history, none of them were in the 1910s. There was, however, one in 1924, one in 1925 and another one in 1932.

Answer: An extremely powerful earthquake

The 1960 Valdivia earthquake is, with a magnitude of 9.5 in the moment magnitude scale, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. The casualties were estimated between 2,000 and 6,000 people. The tremor caused destructive tsunamis that reached even Hawaii, Japan and the Philippines.

Answer: 1973

The coup d'état took place on September 11, 1973. The military took over, led by General Augusto Pinochet. During Pinochet's dictatorship, the junta's opposition was persecuted harshly. According to the Rettig Report, over 2,000 people were killed and another 27,000 were incarcerated.

Answer: Pinochet stepped down

In 1988, a national referendum was held in Chile to determine whether Pinochet would stay in power for another eight years. The result was "No" with 55.99% of the votes, determining that Pinochet and the junta would hold power for another year while elections took place. Consequently, Patricio Aylwin was elected President on December 14, 1989 and took office on March 11, 1990.