RiseLike many people in his hometown of Punta Arenas, Gabriel Boric is of Croatian descent. His father’s ancestor was one of the tens of thousands of Croats who left their homeland in Patagonia, Chile, in search of new opportunities in the late 19th century.Many others seek new beginnings in neighboring countries Argentina In the same period.
Chile is now one of the largest Croatian diaspora in the world, with an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 descendants of Croats.
Community evidence Chile It can be seen in the names of companies and sports teams, as well as the Croatian flag and national emblem on the walls of bars, restaurants and cafes.
The first wave of immigration occurred in the late 1800s, when Chile and Argentina called for immigrants to settle in their vast, sparsely populated areas.
Before the founding of Chile, the spectacular fjords and entrances of Tierra del Fuego at the southernmost tip of the continent were home to many semi-nomadic people. But in the mercenary-led battle, the indigenous people were almost completely extinct, including Selk’nam, one of the three indigenous tribes in southern Patagonia, who suffered brutal genocide.
In 1881, Chile signed a treaty dividing Patagonia and Argentina into two, and at the turn of the 20th century began to grant large tracts of virgin forest land to wealthy owners. Nearly uncontrollable forest fires swept Patagonia, making way for colonists to establish small agricultural farmers, while others cleared the land and built roads to colonize the area.
The first Croats arrived after the phylloxera plague ravaged vineyards on the Dalmatian coast, forcing many workers and growers to make a living elsewhere.
Many Croats came to Punta Arenas to work in the area’s huge livestock industry, while others went to the northern mining area of Antofagasta. In the course of two to three generations, new Croatian immigrants from Chile have transformed from fishermen, builders and cattle farmers or small business owners into doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, journalists, civil servants and politicians.
One of the wealthiest people in Chile is Andronico Lukšić (Andrónico Lukšić), he is a business tycoon of Croatian descent, part of the powerful Chilean dynasty, the dynasty and Pinochet-Hiyat clan.
Boric’s father Luis Javier Boric Scarpa is a chemical engineer. His mother, María Soledad Font Aguilera, is of Catalan origin. Four years ago, when the wealthy region of northeastern Spain was in crisis as the Catalan government illegally tried to separate from the rest of the country, Boric said he was shocked by the footage and photos of the Spanish police trying to prevent a unilateral referendum.
“The scenes of police violence in Catalonia are shocking,” he said Tweet“A big hug for the people from Chile to Catalonia. More democracy, less repression.”
