Greeks in Chile

Infobox Ethnic group
group = flagicon|Greece Greek-Chilean flagicon|Chile


poptime = 1,500
popplace = Arica, Antofagasta, La Serena, Coquimbo, Santiago de Chile.
langs = Chilean Spanish, Greek
rels = Christianity
related = Greeks, Greek Argentine, Greek Bolivian, Greek-Peruvian

The Greek community in Chile numbers between 1,000 and 1,500 people. Most of them live either in the Santiago area or in the Antofagasta area.

Immigration

The Greek community has had great importance in Chile. The first immigrant they arrived during the 17th century, originating from Crete, for which they called "Candia" in honor of the capital of the island, current Heraklion. The surname, although persists currently, is found very dissociated of its remote origins. The majority of the Greek immigrants they arrived at Chile at the beginning of the 20th century, some as part of their adventurous spirit and other escaping from the severities of the First World War and of the catastrophe of Smyrna, in Asia Minor, although already there they were enough Greeks written down in Antofagasta, a city of northern Chile; even crew members of the ships commanded by Arturo Prat during the War of the Pacific Naval Combat of Iquique. Is very probable that the good climate of the zone have been one of the large attractions for the Greek immigrants. Nevertheless, the chronicles of the epoch indicate that the majority arrived attracted by the fame that had acquired the Chilean north by the exploitation of the saltpeter and the wealth that there was in the country.

According to "El Mercurio de Antofagasta", between the years 1920 and 1935 they existed around 400 Greeks in the northern city and some thirty in the offices salitreras. In 1926 the first female association of Chile is constituted, known like the Filóptoxos ("friends of the poor" in Greek) that was presided by Xrisí Almallotis. Since then to the date they have happened themselves around four or five generations of descendants of Greeks. Some they have been transferred to the south and they are grouped mainly in Santiago, other in Valparaíso, as well as also in Talcahuano. The main member of this community corresponds the shipping businessman Constantino Kochifas, owner of the ships Skorpios in Puerto Montt.

Notable Greek-Chileans

*Michelle Bachelet
*Constantino Kochifas
*Gloria Legisos
*Demetrio Marinakis
*Patricio Mekis
*Gabriel Mustakis
*Arístides Progulakis
*Manuel Tegancia
*Francisco Varela

ee also

*Greek people
*Greek diaspora
*Chilean-Greek relations

External links

* [http://www.mfa.gr/www.mfa.gr/en-US/Policy/Geographic+Regions/Latin+America+-+Caribbean/Bilateral+Relations/Chile/ Bilateral relations between Greece and Chile]
* [http://www.greece.cl/espanol/index.htm Embassy of Greece in Chile]
* [http://www.greciachile.cl/ Main Greek association in Chile]
* [http://www.greciantofagasta.cl/ Greek association of Antofagasta]
* [http://www.griegoscuartaregion.cl/ Greek association of Coquimbo]