Welcome to Chile







The first known discoverer of Chile was Ferdinand Magellan, on October 21, 1520. In the second Spanish expedition, Pedro de Valdivia went from Peru to Chile in 1540 and founded the capital Santiago. He succesfully enslaved the Amerindians and then became the first governor of the captaincy general of Chile. The Amerindians fought the Spaniards but failed, Pedro died in this fight. For the next 300 years the Chileans obeyed the crown of Spain. It wasn't until the 19th century when the king of Spain was overthrown did they think about self-rule.





Chile's rebellion for independence started on 1810. In 1818 Chile gained independence, but Spain sent troops out to reconquer Chile again and again. It wasn't until 1826 did the finally gain complete independence.


In colonial
Chile there were the classic social classes of Latin America, and much poverty. Even though there was the typical Latin American social structure in Chile, there were even less African slaves than peninsulares in Chile because of the poverty there. Even by the end of the colonial period, there were only 15,000 African slaves compared to the 20,000 peninsulares. Another result of the poverty and the fact that the Indians were too stubborn and strong to be forced into unpaid labor, were that the people who settled in Chile had to work on their own fields especially since agriculture was the main part of Chile’s economy. Since Chile was so poor and had no mineral wealth, it caused Spaniards to stay away from it and its poverty, which shows why the ethnic composition of Chile now includes very few people of European descent. Also by the end on the colonial era, there was a huge population boom of the amount of mestizos, or mixed Indian and Europeans, which reflects the composition because the majority of the population now is mixed between Indian and Latin Americans.



Sites Used

Nobody likes being accused of Plagiarism, so here are some sites we used for finding info on Chile


http://www.salsa-in-cuba.com/eng/dance_timba.html - Dance


http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/article/Chile/Chilean-Clothing/2304 - Clothing

http://chileanrecipe.com - Food

http://travel.mapsofworld.com/chile/music-in-chile.html
http://www.southamerica.cl/Chile/Music.htm
- Music

http://www.mapsofworld.com/chile/arts-and-entertainment/ - Art 
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/article/Chile/Chilean-Art-/2300


...and of course, 

Google.com for all our image browsing needs

Music


Music plays a large role in shaping a society's culture and the way other people view it. In Chile, there is no exception. Like elsewhere in the world, there are many different kinds of music in Chile, and it serves as one of the major entertainments for the locals. Chilean music has also had an effect on modern music, for example, some of the most revered musical styles such as Nueva Canción were originated in Chile. Chilean folk music even received international acclaim in the 1960s, when Violeta Parra, a popular singer, and her children Angel and Isabel came up as singers and songwriters. As it stands right now, some of the more well known names in contemporary music of Chile are Inti Illimani, Illapu and Congreso - they are the most popular groups in Chile.



Another important form of Chilean traditional song is the Tonada. Tonada was actually implemented by the Spanish settlers. This form of music of Chile is very different as unlike other musical forms in the country, Tonada is not danced with.


Food


Just like the way Chileans dress, the food they make is also very elaborate and colorful. Their food is a mixture of Spanish, European, and native influences with many different spices, flavors, and tastes. Another big influence on the food is the fact that Chile has a huge coastline and a very big variety of fish in their waters. Some examples of these fish and shellfish that are so unique to Chilean waters are the loco, picoroco, and the Chilean sea bass. The food is also very flavorful because agriculture has always been a very important part of Chile’s economy and life and wine is also a very common ingredient in Chilean food because it is one of the things that Chile produces the most of. These foods show the ethnic composition of Chile because a majority of the population is Amerindians, who work on land to develop crops that are used in these foods. 


http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2007/03/26/ne0108_kedgeree_lg.jpg

Mixed Seafood Paella
Ingredients:
Olive oil; to cook
4 cup Basmati rice
5 large Shallots; minced
2 tablespoon Minced ginger
2 tablespoon Minced garlic
Salt; to taste
Freshly-ground white pepper; to taste
½ tablespoon Turmeric
7 cup Chicken stock
½ pounds Prince Edward Island mussels; scrubbed
½ pounds Clams; scrubbed(manila; count necks, and little necks)
½ cup White wine
6 ounce Chilean bass; diced 1/2″ thick
6 ounce Salmon; diced 1/2″ thick
6 ounce Halibut; diced 1/2″ thick
2 cup of Snow peas; blanched


Methods:
In a hot oven-proof skillet coated with olive oil, sautee rice, shallots, 1 tablespoon garlic and 1 tablespoon ginger for 4 to 6 minutes. Season. Add turmeric and stir for 2 minutes. Add 6 cups stock and check for seasoning. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until rice has fully absorbed the broth. Fluff with a fork, re-check seasoning. In a hot large sauté pan coated with olive oil, sauté garlic and ginger. Add mussels and clams and cook until they start opening. Deglaze with wine and add fish and remaining cup of stock. Add the snow peas 30 seconds before fish is cooked through.



http://www.clubandresortbusiness.com/image/2560
 
Chilean Seafood Bass

Ingredients:

  • olive oil
  • 4 Chilean sea bass fillets, about 6 ounces each
  • salt and pepper
  • Cajun or Creole seasoning, or a seasoning combination of your choice
Preparation:

Heat oven to 425°.Oil broiler pan rack pan or baking pan with olive oil. Place sea bass on the rack or in pan and sprinkle with seasonings; turn and season the other side. Bake at 425° for about 15 to 20 minutes. The time depends on thickness of the fish, which can vary. Serve as is or with Sherry Cream Sauce, Corn Salsa or Artichoke Salsa, or other sauce.

Traditional Costume/Clothing


Traditional Chilean clothing is very vivid, lively, and festive. It is also based a lot around comfort because most of the population in Chile work in jobs that use manual labor and modern fashion also has a lot of influence from traditional Chilean clothing because it is very patriotic, showing pictures that represent the country, it is very bright, and rare. This relates to the ethnic composition because most of the articles of clothing made take a lot of work and manual labor, which is the type of work that the majority of the population does, it is very versatile, and people from all walks of life can wear it. 
 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3609/3343101916_b607989251.jpg

The Chupallas is a hat made out of straw that is usually worn by horsemen or men in the Chilean rodeos. It has also been worn by more of the regular people in Chile who live in the more rustic areas and some men who practice traditional Chilean dances. Along with being made out of straw, these hats have also been made out of rice and wheat more recently, even though the hat gets its name from the plant it was originally made from. The Chupallas reflects the cultural composition of Chile because it is worn by men from all types of places and all social classes. This is like the make up of Chile because most of the population is part Indian and part American, so they could be in any social class with any job, which really reflects the diversity of people who wear the Chupallas.

http://blogs.smh.com.au/photographers/arroyoclark.jpg

The Chamanto is a traditional Chilean garment that people of both genders can wear at any time of the day. It is a very colorful and attractive poncho that is woven using a very difficult type of weaving, which makes it very hard to make. The Chamanto is usually made of silk or wool and has ribbon throughout the whole poncho, which is what makes it so beautiful, complex, and original. Another aspect of this poncho that is unique to the Chamanto is that it can be wore on either side, including either the side with darker colors which is worn during the daytime, or the side with lighter colors which is worn during the night time. To decorate the Chamanto and give it the individual style, people add picture of things from nature like flowers, birds, and crops. This represents the ethnic composition of Chile now because it is a very patriotic piece of clothing and it is very comfortable and resourceful garment that can be worn when doing physical labor, which a majority of the population does.

Dance





This is the national dance of Chile; Cueca. It is a mix of both Spanish and African culture. Cueca is thought to be originated from Zamacueca, a traditional dance from Peru. Cueca is renowned as a courting dance where the dances enact the courting between a hen and a rooster. The male dancer is agressive while the female dancer is elusive and demure. The dancers also wave handkerchiefs around their head. These symbolize the feathers of a hen or the comb of a rooster. The choreography of the Cueca consists of moving in circles and semi-circles. The man and woman stand on opposite sides of the circle which is about three meters apart. The clothing the male wears in Cueca is to wear a cowboy hat, shirt, flannel poncho, riding pants, short jacket, and spurs. The female wears a flowered dress and an apron. Cueca was declared the official national dance of Chile on September 18, 1979 (Independence Day). 

Another popular dance in Chile is the Timba. This is basically a variation of the salsa. Timba is also called the Hypersalsa because the dance style is completely free and the music is more rapid. The main dance style though are spasmodic movements of the whole body along with hand gestures that follow the beat. This can be danced alone or with a group. Because the Timba is just a variation of the salsa it's origin was from Cuba. The salsa was introduced to Chile from the Creoles and then further modified with both native and African movements which was then called the Timba.

Chilean Art

 Chile's art, as with it's music, is an extraordinary feature of the Chilean culture. Over the years it has received many awards and recognition, both nationwide and internationally. 
Poetry is an important aspect in art, and Chilean poetry is very popular. In fact, two widely popular Chilean poets, won Noble prizes for their poetry. Nicanor Parra and Vicente Huidobro are some other famous poets of Chile. 




Chile also does not fail to impress in it's performing arts and shows of the country that have become integral to urban culture. Besides the shows that Chile puts on, incorporating dance, music, and art, the large sculptures of prominent sculptors like Sergio Castillo, Aura Castro, Alejandra Ruddoff manage to grab the interest of domestic as well as foreign buyers. Robert Matta Echaurren is another famous sculptor of Chile who had earned world wide recognition. The expression of contemporary Art of Chile is quite diverse and spontaneous. 


Painting is another art form of Chile where the country had excelled. During dictatorial reign Chile art market flourished at a great pace. Over the year, new art galleries open to exhibit and sold the works of Contemporary art of Chile. Common features in Chilean paintings include distortion, complementary coloring, and textures. 



Famous sculpture in Santiago, Chile
 
http://www.chess-theory.com/images1/72515_abstr_chess_painting.jpg
"The Chess Theory, by Fernando Allende Bellido



Chilean Street Art by Patricio Madero



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