Origin of Chile’s Name

Keiandra wrote and asks:

I was wondering if you could tell me a little about your country and how it got its name and any other important things I should know

You can find lots of information about Chile on my site:

Interesting facts about Chile

Chilean culture

According to Wikipedia, there are numerous ideas of how Chile’s name originated:

According to one theory the Incas of Peru, who had failed to conquer the Araucanians, called the valley of the Aconcagua “Chili” by corruption of the name of a tribal chief (”cacique”) called Tili, who ruled the area at the time of the Incan conquest.

Another theory points to the similarity of the valley of the Aconcagua with that of the Casma Valley in Peru, where there was a town and valley named Chili.

Other theories say Chile may derive its name from the indigenous Mapuche word chilli, which may mean “where the land ends,” “the deepest point of the Earth,” or “sea gulls;” or from the Quechua chin, “cold”, or the Aymara tchili, meaning “snow.”

Another meaning attributed to chilli is the onomatopoeic cheele-cheele—the Mapuche imitation of a bird call. The Spanish conquistadors heard about this name from the Incas and the few survivors of Diego de Almagro’s first Spanish expedition south from Peru in 1535-36 called themselves the “men of Chilli.”

I’ve heard a few misconceptions about Chile’s name. While there are various possible origins of Chile’s name, there are a few things that are certain:

Chile isn’t spelled Chili today.

Chile isn’t called that because the country’s shape is long and could look like a chili pepper.

Chile’s official name is La República de Chile, or Republic of Chile.

Posted October 23rd, 2007 in Ask Pepe, Culture.

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