The Bicentennial of Chile (Spanish : Bicentenario de Chile) took place on September 18, 2010. [1] The celebration commemorates the beginning of the Independence process in Chile, with the first Government Junta of Chile on September 18, 1810, and Chile's becoming a free and independent country eight years later. [2] Several activities were prepared for this occasion by the Chilean Government.
The logotype Logo Bicentenario was created in 2007 by the advertising agency Lowe Porta. The stars on it are an abstract representation of Latin American countries, and "happiness, celebrations and optimism." [3]
The Government Junta of 1810 marked the beginning of the political independence of Chile. It was a government body created by the open council (cabildo) of Santiago de Chile on September 18, 1810, in order to organize Chile governmentally and to take actions regarding the government's defense, after Ferdinand VII was taken prisoner by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1808. The Junta was the first autonomous form of government originated in central Chile since its conquest, and was presided over by the Governor of Chile, Mateo de Toro y Zambrano. It allowed the participation of the creole aristocracy, and it marked the beginning of the Chilean War of Independence. The Junta assembled a National Congress, which José Miguel Carrera overturned with a coup d'état.
Bernardo O'Higgins was granted dictatorial powers as Supreme Director of Chile on February 16, 1817, and Chile officially declared its independence on February 12, 1818.
The Plan Bicentenario (English: Bicentennial Plan) was started during the government of Ricardo Lagos and was scheduled to be completed on September 18, 2010. A committee called the Comisión Bicentenario was established on October 16, 2002, through Supreme Decree N° 176.
Several plans were made for the event, amongst them: the construction of major roadworks and infrastructure, such as the Plaza de la Ciudadanía, and cultural works, such as the La Moneda Palace Cultural Centre (Centro Cultural Palacio de la Moneda), the Library of Santiago (Biblioteca de Santiago) and the Matucana 100 Cultural Centre (Centro Cultural Matucana 100).
However, the Puente Bicentenario (Bicentennial Bridge), which was to connect Chiloé Island with Continental Chile, was canceled after the estimated cost exceeded the budgeted funds, yet the project was revived in 2012.
In 2008 Correos de Chile started a public competition to design postage stamps to commemorate the Bicentennial. The contestants were divided into four categories: Basic Education (Enseñanza Básica), Secondary Education (Enseñanza Media), Higher Education (Enseñanza Superior) and Visual Artist (Artista Visual). The winning designs were submitted in 2009, and were created by Andrea Barreda (Basic Education), Javiera Monreal (High School), Joshua Arevalo (Higher Education), and Patricio Díaz (Visual Artist). The Bicentennial stamp series was officially launched on October 15, 2009. [4]
On April 20, 2009, Correos de Chile launched a special issue of 15 stamps that were used for the centenary celebrations of Chile. The stamps, dating from 1910, bore the official logo of the Bicentennial, and were sold for 310 Chilean pesos (US$0.62). 30,000 copies were printed. [5] A stamp with the official logo of the Bicentennial was also released.
The Chilean Mint (Casa de Moneda de Chile) created an oval medal designed by Verónica Astaburuaga. The Bicentennial logo is on the obverse side, and on the reverse a map of Chile, showing the Pacific Ocean, the Andes Mountains and the Andean Cross. [6] [7] Two versions of the medal exist, one made of silver, and another of bronze. [7]
Several non-governmental initiatives also sought to highlight the celebration of the Bicentennial. These included:
The Chilean television channels created several shows to commemorate the Bicentennial. Canal 13 produced shows such as Flor de País (Flower of Country), Héroes (Heroes), Los 80 (The Eighties), Recomiendo Chile ([I] Recommend Chile), Santiago no es Chile (Santiago is not Chile) and Voy y Vuelvo ([I'll] go and come back [later]). Televisión Nacional de Chile has broadcast shows such as Chile Elige (Chile Chooses), Hora 25 (25th Hour), Grandes Chilenos de Nuestra Historia (Great Chileans of Our History, based on the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons ), Epopeya (Epic), and Algo habrán hecho por la historia de Chile (They must have done something for the history of Chile). Chilevisión created the miniseries Postales, that lasts about a minute and a half. Chilevisión also dramatized guerrilla Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza's biography on the homonymic TV series. Starting in 2008, La Red exhibited Agenda Bicentenario (Bicentennial Schedule), showing important places of Chile during its history. Finally, Megavisión launched the TV series Adiós al Séptimo de Línea (Goodbye to the Seventh Line) in 2010, based on Jorge Inostroza's homonymic book.
There was criticism of celebrating the Bicentennial of Chile in 2010, because Chile gained its independence on February 12, 1818, when Bernardo O'Higgins approved the Independence Act of Chile. However, the Centennial of Chile was celebrated in 1910, under the presidencies of Pedro Montt (who died on August 16, 1910), Elías Fernández Albano (temporary), Emiliano Figueroa Larraín (temporary) and Ramón Barros Luco. [9] The other countries celebrating their bicentennials in 2010 also celebrate the beginning of their independence process through the creation of their First Government Junta, including Venezuela on April 19, Argentina on May 25, Colombia on July 20, Mexico on September 16, and Bolivia on May 25, 1809.
The regions of Arica and Parinacota and Tarapacá faced a historical paradox. These regions celebrated the Bicentennial, but they have belonged to Chile only for 130 years, because they were formerly part of Peru, which gained its independence in 1821. [10]
Palacio de La Moneda, or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the president of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency, and General Secretariat of the Government. Located in downtown Santiago, it occupies an entire block in the Civic District, bordered by Moneda street to the north, Morandé street to the east, Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins to the south, and Teatinos street to the west.
Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN) is a Chilean public service broadcaster. It was founded by order of President Eduardo Frei Montalva and it was launched nationwide on 18 September 1969. Since then, the company has been reorganized on several occasions and its operations areas have increased over the years, becoming one of the leading television broadcasters in Chile and South America. Law 17 377 of 1970 established that TVN must be a public, autonomous, pluralistic, and representative public service. TVN's public mission determines the obligation to promote the national cultural identity, the values of democracy, human rights, care for the environment and respect for diversity. Furthermore, Televisión Nacional governs the programming of its services according to criteria established by the National Television Council (CNTV).
General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as President twice, first between 1927 and 1931, and then from 1952 to 1958, serving for 10 years in office.
Plaza de la Ciudadanía is a public square located in the southern façade of the Palacio de La Moneda in Santiago. It used to be part of the grass garden and parking area of the Palace.
The Chilean War of Independence was a military and political event that allowed the emancipation of Chile from the Spanish Monarchy, ending the colonial period and initiating the formation of an independent republic.
The Crossing of the Andes was one of the most important feats in the Argentine and Chilean wars of independence. A combined army of Argentine soldiers and Chilean exiles crossed the Andes mountains, which separate Argentina from Chile, to invade Chile, leading to its liberation from Spanish rule.
Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, popularly known as 'La Alameda', is the main avenue of Santiago, Chile. It runs east-west in the centre of the greater urban area and is 7.77 km (4.83 mi) long, and it has up to 5 lanes in each direction. It was named after Chile's founding father Bernardo O'Higgins. It was originally a branch of the Mapocho River.
The first lady of Chile is the title for the wife of the president of Chile, who is traditionally responsible for directing and coordinating activities in the social field of the presidency and accompanying the president in ceremonies or official activities, for example, on state visits. Although not an official title, it is widely used in formal protocol and has been used in some decrees.
Spanish Chileans refer more often to Chileans of post-independence Spanish immigrant descent, as they have retained a Spanish cultural identity. People of pre-independence Spanish descent are typically not classified as Spanish Chileans even though they form a large majority of the Chilean population and have Spanish surnames and ancestry. This is because they rejected Spanish identity for the emergent Chilean one on the eve of national independence.
The Chilean Declaration of Independence is a document declaring the independence of Chile from the Spanish Empire. It was drafted in January 1818 and approved by Supreme Director Bernardo O'Higgins on 12 February 1818 at Talca, despite being dated in Concepción on 1 January 1818. The ceremony of independence was performed on 12 February 1818, the first anniversary of the Battle of Chacabuco.
The Libertad Palace, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Cultural Center is a cultural centre located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the largest of Latin America, and the third or fourth largest in the world.
In 2010, Mexico celebrated both the 200th anniversary of its Independence and 100th anniversary of its Revolution. The entire year was proclaimed by President Felipe Calderón as "Año de la Patria", or "Year of the Nation". 16 September 1810 is the day of the "Grito de Dolores" or Miguel Hidalgo's call to take up arms against the Spanish colonial government. The start of the Mexican Revolution is celebrated as being 20 November 1910, when Francisco "Pancho" Villa and Pascual Orozco led the first insurrectionist attack against the regime of Porfirio Díaz. Events and other promotions of these celebrations were designed to link of Mexico's identity and historic continuity. During a speech at the inauguration of the Casa de Allende Historic Museum, President Felipe Calderón called upon Mexico to use the upcoming anniversaries to reflect on where the country has been and to think about what kind of Mexico descendants will inherit in the future. He said the vision of the insurgents of the War of Independence was forward, not backward, so every celebration of these past events must consider the future as well.
The Argentina Bicentennial was a series of ceremonies, festivals, and observances celebrated on May 25, 2010, and throughout the year. They commemorated the 200th anniversary of the May Revolution, a sequence of historical events that led to the Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros being ousted from office and replaced with the Primera Junta, the first national government.
The Anniversary of the First National Government is a public holiday of Argentina, commemorating the May Revolution and the creation of the Primera Junta on May 25, 1810, which is considered the first patriotic government of Argentina. Along with the 9 July, which commemorates the Declaration of Independence, it is considered a National Day of Argentina.
The Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago is a building located in the north central village of the Plaza de Armas in Santiago, Chile. The building dates back to 1808 and houses, since 1982, the National History Museum of Chile.
The Official Post Service of the Argentine Republic is the state-owned company that covers the postal service in Argentina. The company is a S.A. under the country's Office of the Cabinet Chief.
The Centro Cultural Matucana 100 is a cultural center located in the commune of Estación Central in Santiago, Chile, near Quinta Normal Park. Matucana 100 is a not-for-profit corporation that hosts and plans cultural events and educational programs related to the contemporary arts including dance, theatre, music, photography, the visual arts and cinema. The center takes its name from its street address.
The Bicentennial of the Independence of Peru occurred on 28 July 2021. Its celebration commemorated 200 years since Peru's proclamation of Independence. The celebration consisted of a mix of local, state, and national activities that were planned since 2016. On 8 August 2016, the Prime Minister of Peru announced the creation of the Organizing Commission for the Commemoration of the Bicentennial of the Independence of Peru.
The Biblioteca de Santiago (BDS) is a public library in downtown Santiago, Chile. It was inaugurated on November 11, 2005 by the then president of Chile Ricardo Lagos. The library is operated by the Servicio Nacional del Patrimonio Cultural, and is the largest and most advanced public library in Chile. The library occupies an entire city block bounded by Agustinas, Matucana, Moneda and Chacabuco Streets.
The Bicentennial of Bolivia is set to occur on 6 August 2025 and is considered in Bolivia to be the beginning of independence due to the Chuquisaca Revolution of 1809. In 2025, the bicentennial of the Bolivian Declaration of Independence will be celebrated in the same way. As part of the events for the bicentennial, on 31 August 2022, the Bolivian Bicentennial campaign was officially launched in the 9 departmental capitals of the country.