View source for Culture of Chile

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The '''culture of [[Chile]]''' reflects the population and the geographic isolation of the country in relation to the rest of South America. Since colonial times, the Chilean culture has been a mix of [[Spain|Spanish]] colonial elements with elements of [[Indigenous people|indigenous]] (mostly [[Mapuche]]) culture, as well as that of other immigrant cultures, mostly [[culture of Germany|German]], [[culture of United Kingdom|British]], [[culture of France|French]], and [[culture of Italy|Italian]].

The [[Huaso]]s of [[Zona Central, Chile|Central Chile]] and their native or folk music and dance are central to Chilean folk culture. Even though the folk traditions of [[Zona Central, Chile|Central Chile]] are central to Chilean cultural and national identity, Chile is both geographically and culturally diverse with both the North and the South having their own folk music and dance due to different indigenous peoples and different immigrant groups settling there. Additionally, while some regions of Chile have very strong indigenous heritage, such as [[Araucanía Region]], [[Easter Island]], and [[Arica and Parinacota Region|Arica y Parinacota Region]], some regions lack considerable indigenous communities and a few other regions have noteworthy non-Spanish [[Ethnic groups in Europe|European]] immigrant heritage.

== National identity ==
The term ''Chilenidad'' describes the Chilean National identity.

Hernán Godoy describes the psychological characteristics of the Chilean, and hence part of the Chilean national identity, with following words: '''[[roto]]''', '''madness''', '''sober''', '''serious''', '''prudent''', '''sense of humor''', '''great fear to the ridicule''', '''servile''', '''cruel''', and '''lack of foresight''', among other qualities. Jorge Larraín criticized these older descriptions as "overgeneralized abstractions" impossible to apply to a whole nation.<ref name=Larrain>Larraín, Jorge. ''Identidad chilena''. 2001. Editorial LOM.</ref>

== Cultural expressions ==

=== Music ===
{{Main|Music of Chile}}
[[File:Músico chileno tocando cueca.jpg|thumb|left|Chilean huaso singing]]

The national dance of Chile is the [[cueca]] (short for ''Zamacueca'') and first appeared in 1824. Another form of traditional Chilean song, though not a dance, is the ''[[tonada]]''. Arising
imported by the Spanish colonists, it is distinguished from the cueca by an intermediate melodic section and a more prominent melody. The cueca was promoted by the [[Pinochet]] regime in the 1970s and 1980s for political reasons to promote Chilean nationalism, cultural pride and conservative patriotic fervor.

In the period from 1930 to 1970, a rebirth in the interest and popularity in [[folk music]] in Chile appeared, carried out initially by groups such as Los Cuatro Huasos, who took folk songs from the Chilean country and arranged them vocally and with musical instruments. They gave several recitals in Chile, and in Latin America that contributed with its diffusion. Later appeared other groups such as [[Los de Ramon]], Los Huasos Quincheros, Los Cuatro Cuartos, and others who continued with this diffusion. Also appeared several Chilean folk composers such as [[Raul de Ramon]], [[Margot Loyola]], [[Luis Aguirre Pinto]], [[Violeta Parra]], [[Víctor Jara]], and others that carried out folk investigation and composed folk music that is still sung up to this day.
[[File:Los Jaivas en Machu Picchu.jpg|thumb|[[Los Jaivas]], performing "[[Alturas de Macchu Picchu|Alturas de Machu Picchu]]", a version of a part of Pablo Neruda´s [[Canto General]] live at [[Machu Picchu]]]]
In the mid-1960s native musical forms were revitalized by the [[Parra family]] with the [[Nueva canción|Nueva Canción Chilena]], which became associated with political activism and reformers like Chilean [[socialism|socialist]] [[Salvador Allende]] and his [[Popular Unity (Chile)|Popular Unity]] government. Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara, [[Los Jaivas]], [[Inti-Illimani]], [[Illapu]] and [[Quilapayún]] perform of this music. During the military rule in the 1970s, all forms of public expression contrary to the [[Military junta|junta]] were repressed, and [[protest song]]s, which were played and circulated in a clandestine manner. In the late 1980s and after the return of democracy in the 1990s, new musical bands like [[La Ley (band)|La Ley]], [[Los Tres]] and [[Los Prisioneros]], began to appear, and the rise of [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] and [[alternative rock]] there. Even 1970s [[Chilean rock]] bands like the [[Los Ángeles Negros]] regained popularity across Latin America. In 2000s, bands like [[Los Bunkers]], [[Chancho en Piedra|Chancho en piedra]], [[Sinergia]] or [[31 Minutos]] reinvented chilean national rock.

=== Literature ===
{{Main|Chilean literature}}
[[File:Gabriela Mistral-01.jpg|thumb|Nobel laureate [[Gabriela Mistral]]]]

Chile's most famous contributions to literature have come from [[Nobel Prize]] poets [[Pablo Neruda]] and [[Gabriela Mistral]], whose homes and birthplaces are now museums that attract literary pilgrims to Chile. The majority of Neruda's poetry, as individual books or [http://amzn.com/0872864286 collections of selected poems], as well as his memoirs, are widely available in English, however Mistral's works are harder to find, though [http://amzn.com/0826328199 collected editions] are available.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.redpoppy.net/pablo_neruda.php |title=Red Poppy: Pablo Neruda. Spreading poetry's potent power. Documentary Pablo Neruda: The Poet's Calling |access-date=2014-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322035411/http://redpoppy.net/pablo_neruda.php |archive-date=2014-03-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[José Donoso]]'s novel ''Curfew'' recalls the latter days of the recent military dictatorship, while [[Antonio Skármeta]]'s novel ''Burning Patience'' (drawing on Neruda's life as a Chilean icon) was the inspiration for the Oscar-winning Italian film, [[Il Postino]] (The Postman).

=== Arts ===
{{Main|Chilean art}}
[[File:MC0031801.jpg|thumb|left|The first [[Condorito]] [[comics]] collection, published in Chile in 1955.]]

Established in 1849, the [[Academy of Painting (Santiago, Chile)]] has helped foster fine painting and inspire young artists. [[Roberto Matta]], a 20th-century painter, is a world known artist who used abstract and surrealist technique in his work. [[Carlos Sotomayor]] (1911–1988) is considered one of the main exponents of cubism from South America. [[Camilo Mori]] (1896–1973) was the founder of the Group Montparnasse. [[Claudio Bravo (painter)|Claudio Bravo]] (1936–2011) was a hyper realist who lived and worked in [[Morocco]] since 1972.

Sculpture has also been prominent in Chile's culture. In the 19th century, sculptor [[Rebeca Matte]] (1875–1929) was the first Chilean woman to embrace the art. She was commissioned to produce a piece by the government of Chile as a gift to the government of Brazil which she called ''"Icarus and Daedalus"'' (United in Glory and Peace). In 1930, her husband donated a bronze copy to the Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago which is recognized as a leading masterpiece. Matte also created a battle monument as a tribute to the heroes of [[Concepción, Chile|Concepción]]. In the 20th century, [[Marta Colvin]] (1907–1995) gained international status by exhibiting her work in cities around the world.

In the field of classical music, the [[International Society for Chilean Music]] is a non-profit organization committed to a comprehensive mission of promoting and disseminating the artistic efforts of Chilean musicians, both in Chile and around the world. To this end, they have compiled and disseminated a report [https://simuc.org/publications/reports/db2022/ published in 2022] (translated the following year), which summarizes their efforts, since its inception, to promote the cause of Chilean music and its exponents, both at Chile and abroad.
{{Clear}}

=== Cuisine ===
{{Main|Chilean cuisine}}

[[File:S4020436.JPG|thumb|[[Paila marina]]]]
[[Chilean cuisine]] uses a variety of products due to Chile's location and long coastline.<ref>[http://www.thisischile.cl/1253/2/gastronomy/News.aspx Gastronomy, Chile's top traditional foods: a visitor's guide] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111172557/http://www.thisischile.cl/1253/2/gastronomy/News.aspx |date=11 November 2013 }} 29 July 2009 retrieved 6 August 2013</ref> The cuisine arose from the fusion of traditional indigenous ingredients with Spanish culture and traditions. Further European immigration also brought various styles and traditions in cooking were heavily influenced by the [[Italians]] and the [[Germans]]. In the 20th century, [[French cuisine]] marked an important turning point influencing culinary methods and creating a type of [[Criollo people|Criollo]] style that has been implemented now in Chilean cooking. [[British cuisine|British cooking influences]] include the ''onces'' or [[tea]] breaks usually taken in the afternoon among Chileans of all classes and backgrounds. [[German cuisine|German food influences]] include traditional cakes and desserts have been adopted in much of Chile. Many Chilean recipes are enhanced and accompanied by [[wine]] and Chilean ''[[pisco]]'', a type of grape [[brandy]] produced in Chile, Pisco is also consumed in neighbouring Peru. Throughout Chile each region spanning from north to south contain a variety of culinary recipes special to each location.

==== Notable Chilean dishes ====
{{Div col|colwidth=24em}}
* {{Interlanguage link|Arrollado de huaso|es}}
* [[Asado]]
* {{Interlanguage link|Bistec a lo pobre|es}}
* [[Cazuela]]
* [[Charquicán]]
* [[Chilean salad]]
* {{Interlanguage link|Chilenitos|es}}
* [[Churrasco]]
* [[Cola de mono]]
* [[Curanto]]
* [[Empanada]]
* [[Humita]]
* [[Manjar blanco|Manjar Blanco]]
* [[Marraqueta]]
* [[Milcao]]
* [[Mote con huesillo]]
<!-- * [[Pan de Huevo]] -->
* [[Pan de Pascua]]
<!-- * [[Palta Reina]] -->
* [[Pastel de choclo]]
* [[Pebre]]
* [[Porotos granados]]
* [[Sopaipilla]]
* [[:es:Terremoto (bebida)|Terremoto]]
{{div col end}}

=== Television ===
{{excerpt|Television in Chile}}

=== Cinema ===
{{Main|Cinema of Chile}}

Domestic film production in Chile is still small but dynamic, it has been steadily growing since 1990 and the country now produces about 20 motion pictures annually. The most important filmmakers include [[Raúl Ruiz (director)|Raúl Ruiz]] (''[[Palomita Blanca]]''), [[Miguel Littín]] (''[[El chacal de Nahueltoro]]''), [[Silvio Caiozzi]] (''[[Julio comienza en julio]]''), [[Andrés Wood]] (''[[Machuca]]''), [[Pablo Larrain]] (''[[No (2012 film)|No]]'') and [[Sebastián Lelio]] (''[[A Fantastic Woman]]''). In short animation, [[Gabriel Osorio Vargas|Gabriel Osorio]] (''[[Bear Story]]''). Other entertainment includes [[radio]] and [[television]] with [[TVN (Chile)|TVN]] (Television Nacional de Chile) owned but not paid by the government but funding comes from commercial sponsors by private companies and media productions.

Chile's small and steadily growing film industry has had some hard time filming compared to countries like the United States. A lot of the most successful films before the 1960s were imported form the U.S., Europe, and other Latin American countries. With Chile's film industry really not having as much funding, technology, and education to keep up with some of the bigger filmmakers.<ref>La Batalla Del Cine Chileno: Chilean Cinema's History of Resisting Hollywood. scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1171&amp;context=cine.  
</ref> Despite the small start, in the recent years Chile's filming industry continues to grow. In the early 2000s things started to take a better turn for the industry as a whole. With the Universidad de Valparaíso, Universidad de Chile and Universidad Católica offer careers in cinematography, which means the expansion and establishment of formal instruction in this field after 2004. Also after 2004, Chile's film industry stated the use of digital cameras, which lowered the cost of production.<ref>A Brief Chronicle of Chilean Cinema (English Version ... revista.drclas.harvard.edu/book/brief-chronicle-chilean-cinema-english-version.</ref>

Chilean cinema has won an Academy Award on two occasions, [[Bear Story]] for [[Best Animated Short Film]] and [[A Fantastic Woman]] for [[Best Foreign Language Film]].

=== Sports ===
{{Main|Sport in Chile}}

[[File:Estadio Nacional de Chile.jpg|thumb|225px|[[Estadio Nacional de Chile]]]]

==== Football (soccer) ====
{{Main|Football in Chile}}

[[Association football|Football]] is the most popular sport in Chile, and practiced by Chileans from all economic backgrounds, it is the one sport that appeals to both young and old that is the most accessible. The [[Chilean Football Federation|Federación de Fútbol de Chile]] is the governing body of "fútbol" in Chile. Practices such as "baby fútbol", which is a street level scrimmage match, is played on areas made of concrete. Located throughout Chile are football stadiums such as [[Estadio Nacional de Chile]] located in Santiago, and where the final of the [[1962 FIFA World Cup]] was held. Chile was banned in [[FIFA]] participation in the early 1990s due to a faked player injury on the field during a 1989 playoff game and could not appear in the 1990 and [[1994 FIFA World Cup]] events as a result.

==== Skiing ====
Chile practices a host of sporting events, and because of its geographical location that is situated between the [[Andes Mountains]] and the [[Pacific Ocean]], [[skiing]] and [[snowboarding]] are done in between those two locations. With more than {{convert|4,000|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} of mountains, Chile is known internationally as one of the world's best skiing destinations and the best in South America. This is a very popular sport in Chile among the wealthier classes (considering that this is an expensive sport in this country). This recognition is based on the excellent quality of the slopes, a beautiful landscape, accessibility and proximity to urban centers. [[Santiago de Chile]] is interested in hosting the [[Winter Olympics]] in the future, destined to be the second site in the southern hemisphere.

The main ski centers are located in Central Chile right in the middle of the Andes, at heights that vary from {{convert|2,400|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} up to {{convert|3,000|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} above sea level. These centers are the ones with the biggest skiing surfaces as well as the best supporting infrastructure.

The centers of Southern Chile are located at lower altitudes and most of them are on volcano slopes. The scenery is notable, including scenic forests and panoramic views.<ref name="Chile Activities: Skiing">{{cite web |url=http://www.gochile.cl/Activ/ski.asp |title=Chile Activities: Skiing |publisher=Gochile.cl |access-date=2013-09-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130116012433/http://www.gochile.cl/Activ/ski.asp |archive-date=2013-01-16 }}</ref>

==== Surfing ====
{{Main|Surfing in Chile}}

Chile is a great [[surfing]] destination, and from the Northern region to the Central region there are many beaches with the right conditions for the sport. It is possible to surf almost all year round except for the middle of the winter (July and August) when weather conditions are non-conducive to surfing. The water temperature fluctuates between {{convert|10|and|20|C|F}}.

In northern Chile, the waves are smaller, but very forceful, and between [[Arica]] and [[Iquique]], ''tubes'' are common. The temperature of the water fluctuates between {{convert|15|and|20|C|F}}. Due to the difficult conditions of the [[Atacama Desert]], there are many unexplored, quiet beaches in that area. In the Central Region, the water is a little bit colder, and there are steeper shores and bigger waves.<ref name="Chile Activities: Skiing" />

==== Basketball ====
In addition to football (soccer), [[basketball]] is particularly popular in southern Chile, where it as an indoor sport can be played all year round despite Southern Chile's cold and rainy winters. The ''NCBAOC'' is the official league. It stands for the National Chile Basketball Association of Chile.

==== Rodeo ====
{{Main|Chilean rodeo}}

[[Chilean rodeo|Rodeo]] was declared the national sport in 1962. It has since thrived, especially in the more rural areas of the country. Chilean rodeo is different from the [[rodeo]] found in North America. In Chilean rodeo, a team (called a ''collera'') consisting of two riders (called [[Huasos]]) and two horses rides laps around an arena trying to stop a [[calf (animal)|calf]], pinning him against massive cushions. Points are earned for every time the steer is properly driven around the corral, with deductions for faults. Rodeos are conducted in a crescent-shaped corral called a [[medialuna]].

Unlike rodeos in other countries, there is no bull riding or using ropes to tie up cattle. And the idea behind the point system in the game is to get a high number of points. Getting these points takes a high amount of skill. Deductions for faults may included, incorrect maneuvering or the cow escaping.<ref>Pierce, Lucy. “Why Rodeo Is Possibly Chile's Most Significant National Sport.” Culture Trip, The Culture Trip, 23 Oct. 2017, theculturetrip.com/south-america/chile/articles/why-rodeo-is-possibly-chiles-most-significant-national-sport/.</ref>  Each pair of Huasos start with 13 points then the deduction system comes into play. Every official rodeo is held over two days, normally Saturdays and Sundays, though occasionally it will be held on Chilean Public holidays.<ref>“Rodeo.” Rodeos in Chile - Traditional Huaso Sport Photos, www.southamerica.cl/Chile/Sport/Rodeos.htm.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Architecture of Chile]]
* [[List of archaeological sites in Chile|Archaeological sites in Chile]]
* [[Arpilleras]]
* [[Chamanto]]
* [[Chilean American]]
* [[Chilean art]]
* [[Chilean rock]]
* [[History of Chile]]
* [[German influence in Chile]]
* [[Latin American culture]]
* [[Lautaro]]
* [[International Society for Chilean Music]]
* [[List of Chilean pavilions at the Venice Biennale of Architecture|Chile at the Venice Biennale of Architecture]]

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://simbolospatrios.cl/ Catalogue cultural of Chile]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060419135310/http://www.nuestro.cl/eng/default.htm Chilean Cultural Heritage Gateway]
* [http://www.chileculture.org/arts-and-literature/ Arts and Literature – Chile Cultural Society]
* [http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070730/schlotterbeck Marian Schlotterbeck "Artists Pursue the Disappeared"], ''[[The Nation]],'' July 12, 2007.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101213185539/http://www.thisischile.cl/frmContenidos.aspx?SEC=358&eje=acerca Art and Culture – this is Chile]

{{Chile topics}}
{{Latin America topic|Culture of|Latin American culture}}

[[Category:Culture of Chile| ]]