Santiago, the capital of Chile, is a large, modern city with some 5 million inhabitants.   Founded in 1541, at the southern end of the Spanish colonial empire on the Pacific Ocean, the city grew in importance after what is modern-day Chile declared independence from Spain in 1810. Santiago is located near three very different topographical regions; the Andes Mountains to the east, the lush, central wine-growing valley, and the Pacific Ocean coast with its beaches. The city and the nearby Oceanside communities of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar make for an interesting and enjoyable Latin American experience.

CHILE MUSIC PROFILE:

In the nineteenth century, with the end of the colonial period and the transition to an independent republic, music and other aspects of culture gradually began to acquire a national identity.  Chile has produced a rich variety of vibrant music and dance traditions due to its huge cultural mixture. Folklore is the most popular genre of music for Chileans.

The influence of the Andes in the north of the country and the presence of the military bands which Spaniards brought to the region are reflected by the use of the zampoña, the quena, the charango, the guitar and instruments of military origin such as the bass drum, trumpets, and tubas. In Chile’s central region, instruments such as the accordion are played, which were introduced by the numerous immigrants who arrived from Germany. The guitar, the caja, and the tormento, are instruments used to accompany the dances of the central region like the sajuriana (originally an Argentine dance), the refalosa (from Peru) and the sombrerito.  In the south of Chile and especially in the Chiloé Islands, Spanish and huilliche traditions mixed to produce the paricona dance, a variety of the Spanish pericón.