Croatian Chilean

Croatian Chilean
chileno-croata

A. Goic Iván Morovic Tonka Tomicic Nicolás Peric
Total population
380,000 2.4% of Chile's population
Regions with significant populations
Punta Arenas, Santiago, Antofagasta, Iquique
Languages
Chilean Spanish, Croatian
Religion
Christianity, mainly Roman Catholic others, Secular
Related ethnic groups
Croatian diaspora, Croats

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Chileno-croatas (Spanish pronunciation: [tʃiˈleŋo kɾoˈata]; Hrvati: čileanski Hrvati; English: Croatian Chilean) are an important ethnic group in Chile; they are citizens of Chile who were either born in Europe or are Chileans of Croatian descent deriving their Croatian ethnicity from one or both parents. Chile has one of the largest communities of ethnic Croats outside the Balkan Peninsula and it is one of the most significant Croatian communities – second only to Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are one of the main examples of successful assimilation of a non-Spanish-speaking European ethnic group into Chilean society. Many successful entrepreneurs, scientists, artists and prominent politicians holding the highest offices in the country have been of Croatian descent.

History

19th Century ad-poster of Croatian ship ready to travel to South America.

The oppression of the Croatian people and the denial of an internationally recognised nation was the principal factor leading them to embark on a constant migration to Chile. At first they were recognised and officially registered as former citizens of the countries or empires from which they had fled. For example, until 1915 they were recognised as Austrians, and since then to 1990 as Yugoslavians. Since 1990, and in accordance to the establishment of the new internationally recognised Republic of Croatia, Chilean Croats have reasserted their cultural and ethnic identity.^[1]

The Croatian community first established itself in two provinces situated in the extreme ends of Chile: Antofagasta, in the Atacama desert of the north and Punta Arenas in the Patagonian region in the south. The massive arrival of Croats in Chile began in 1864 and the migration grew steadily until 1956 – reaching a number of more than 60,000. In the early part of this 1864-1956 era more Croats settled in Argentina than in Chile. For example, in Argentina the number reached 120,000, but only about 57% of these Croats remained in Argentina. Some of these returned to Europe or moved and settled in Chile where Croats had a more rapid and successful assimilation, which lead to a significant increase in the Chilean-Croat population in periods when there was no migration of Croats from Europe to the Americas.^[2]

It is officially accepted that there are up to 380,000 Chileans of Croatian descent (who clearly identify themselves as Chilean-Croats).^[3][4] Even though the number may be much higher with some demographic analysts estimating a figure of 750,000.^[5]

Dalmatian-Croatian in Chile

Symbol of Croats

The first issue of the publication Sloboda was published in March 1902, in Antofagasta. It was the first newspaper of the Croatian immigrants in Latin America. The Croatian immigrants in Chile conducted extensive journalistic work since 1902, which includes more than 50 newspapers, publications and newsletters.

The Dalmatian coast, with its thousands of islands of white rock covered with vineyards, pine forests and olive trees, is similar to the geographical conditions of Chile. Most families have a relative or descendant in Chile. Chile's name, unlike other parts of the world where it is almost unknown, is loved and admired by many Dalmatians as a second home.^[6]

Punta Arenas, City of the "Croatian" Pacific

Punta Arenas is the most prominent settlement on the Strait of Magellan and the capital of the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile. It has a population of over 146,000 inhabitants (2008). The city has its roots among the population origin of the European colonists (Croatian and Spanish) that populated the area in the mid-nineteenth century. There are also descendants of people from other countries (i.e. German, English, Italian, Swiss and others).

Croatian immigration in Punta Arenas was a crucial development in the region of Magallanes and the city in particular. Currently, you can see this influence in the names of shops and many buildings. According to some references, 50% of the population of Punta Arenas are descendants of Croats.^[7]

Notable Chilean Croats

Political figures

• Alejandro Jadresic - Chilean Minister of Energy
• Baldo Prokurica - lawyer, Deputy and Chilean Sentator
• Carlos Mladinic - Chilean Minister
• Carolina Goic - Chilean deputy
• Cedomil Lausic Glasinovic - MIR activist, Executed 1975
• Drago Vinko Gojanovic - Chilean communist, Executed 1973
• Edmundo Pérez Zujovic - PDC, Minister of Finance, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Public Works. Assassinated 1971
• Eduardo Larach Petrovich - Chilean communist, Forced disappearance 1974
• Edwin Van Yurick - MIR activist, Executed 1974
• Esteban Ivovic Matulíc - lawyer, economist; Chilean diplomat, ambassador to Yugoslavia, UN delegate
• Horacio Marinkovic - Chilean communist, Forced disappearance
• Igor Garafulic - politician
• Ingrid Antonijevic - Chilean Minister of Economy
• Jorge Jordan Domic physician, Chilean communist, Executed
• Jose Espinosa Santic - MIR activist, Chilean Air Force corporal, Executed 1973
• Juan Garafulic Dubravcic - psychiatrist, novelist, Chilean Minister of Health
• Martin Zilic Hrepic - Physician, Chilean Minister of Education
• Mateo Mihovilovic - politician
• Milenko Vilicic Karnincic - Deputy
• Nenad Todorovic Sertic - MIR, Executed 1973
• Néstor Kirchner Ostoić - Former President of Argentina, descent of a Chilean-Croat (his mother)
• Pedro Vuskovic - Chilean Minister of Economy
• Radomiro Tomic - Chilean Deputy, Senator and Ambassador
• Romy Schmidt Crnosija - lawyer, Chilean minister
• Sergio Espejo Yaksic - Chilean Minister of Transport and Telecommunications
• Sergio Vuskovic - politician, professor and writer
• Vicente Merino Bielich - vice-President of Chile (1946), Navy Commander
• Wladimiro Mimica - former journalist and sports correspondent, current Mayor of Punta Arenas
• Yerko Ljubetic - politician
• Zarko Luksic - politician

Clergymen

• Alejandro Goic Karmelic
• Tomislav Koljatic Maroevic
• Vladimiro Boric Crnosija

Academic and scientists

• Alexander Galetovic - economist
• Antonio Carkovic - academic
• Antonio Rendic - Physician, philanthropist and poet
• Cedomil Goic - academic, leading authority on Chilean literature, author
• Claudio Pavlic - lawyer, law professor, leading Chilean public defender
• Davor Harasic - lawyer, academic
• Eric Goles - mathematician and author
• Ernesto Livacic - academic, author
• Francisco Brzovic - professor, novelist
• Francisco Pammer - known as the physician of the poor, naturalist
• Luka Bonacic-Doric - historian, author, journalist
• María Dora Martinic - lawyer, academic
• Mateo Martinic - academic, National Award winning historian, founded Institute of Patagonia
• Matko Koljatic - academic (marketing)
• Patricia Stambuk - academic, journalist
• Raimundo Kupareo - leading scholar on the philosophy of art and axiology, vice-rector of the University of Chile, author
• Sergio Lausic - academic, historian and geographer
• Sergio Vodanovic - lawyer, dramatist, journalist
• Zlatko Brncic - member of the Chilean Academy of Science, leading geneticist

Fine arts

• Andrés Garafulic Yankovic - architect of Basilica de la Virgen de Lourdes of Santiago, Clínica Santa María
• Domingo Mihovilovic Rajcevic - actor, academic, Founded the Experimental Theatre of the University of Chile
• Lily Garafulic Yankovic - famous sculptor and professor of fine arts
• Luis Advis Vitaglich - composer, philosophy academic, Santa María de Iquique
• Nieves Jankovic Garafulic - thespian, expressionist painter, pioneer of Chilean cinematography
• Roko Matjasic Martinic - founder of Valparaiso School of Fine Arts

Writers

• Amalia Rendic - famous writer of children's literature
• Andrés Morales Milohnic - poet, author, academic, Prize Pablo Neruda 2001
• Antonio Rendic - physician, academic and lyrical poet
• Antonio Skármeta Vranicic - author, novelist
• Arturo Givovich - author, novelist
• Desenka Vukasovic - Chilean poet
• Dinka Ilic - writer and poet
• Josefa Turina - fiction writer
• Juan Mihovilovic - author
• Lenka Franulic - journalist, author, the annual Lenka Fraunlic Award for the best journalist of the year was named in her honour
• Ramón Díaz Eterovic - author, novelist
• Roque Esteban Scarpa - poet, author, academic
• Simón Eterovic - journalist and short story writer

Sportspeople

• Alejandro Vrsalovic - footballer
• Jaime Lopresti Travanic - footballer
• Johnnathan Tafra - canoeist, 2004 Summer Olympics
• Juan Ostoic - basketballer, 1952 Summer Olympics, 1956 Summer Olympics
• Lukas Tudor Bakulic - footballer
• Marko Biskupovic - footballer
• Maximiliano Garafulic - basketballer, 1956 Summer Olympics, Melbourne
• Milovan Mirosevic - footballer
• Neven Ilic - President of COCH - Chilean Olympic Comiteé
• Nicolás Peric - goalkeeper
• Nicolas Rajcevic - swimmer
• Sebastián Karl Siminic - footballer
• Yerko Darlic - footballer

Television/Media personalities

• Antonio Vodanovic - television presenter
• Carolina Arregui Vuskovic - actress
• Carolina Fadic - actress
• Carolina Mestrovic - singer, model
• Davor Gjuranovic - sports journalist / reporter
• Jessica Eterovic - model
• Juan Pablo Matulic - model
• Julio Milostich - actor
• María Eliana Yutronic - model
• Manuela Martelli Salamovich - actress
• Marko Fabjanovic - model
• Martín Cárcamo Papic - television presenter
• Mauricio Pesutic - actor
• Paulina Mladinic - Miss World Chile
• Pedro Pavlovic - journalist and sports correspondent
• Santiago Pavlovic - journalist and war correspondent
• Savka Pollack Tomasevic - TV hostess, Miss Chile
• Tonka Tomicic - television presenter, model
• Vesna Bocic - image adviser
• Visnja Milohnic Roje - Queen of Spring in 1952, medical doctor
• Yasna Kusanovic - actress

Business people

• Andrónico Luksic - business magnate
• Ivo Medovic - businessman
• Leandro Antonijevic Bezmalinovic - businessman

Other notable Chilean croats

• Domingo Yurac - Chilean Supreme Court Justice
• Iván Morovic - Chess International Grandmaster
• Juan Briones Glasinovic - singer, lead vocalist of La Noche
• Koko Stambuk - Chilean musician
• Leonor Oyarzún Ivanovic - First Lady of Chile
• Milan Ivelic - curator of the National Art Gallery, Santiago, Chile

See also

• Croatian Argentine
• Croatian Brazilian
• Croatian Peruvian

References

1. ^ "Immigración croata en Chile (1864-1930): Reafirmando una identidad croata.". hrvatskimigracije.es.tl. 10 April 2008. http://www.memoriachilena.cl/temas/index.asp?id_ut=inmigracioncroataenchile1864-1930. Retrieved 6 January 2009. 
2. ^ "Croacia y Chile: DUBROVNIK, EL ÚLTIMO BALUARTE". hrvatskimigracije.es.tl. 10 April 2008. http://hrvatskimigracije.es.tl/Croacia-y-Chile.htm?PHPSESSID=36d25ef77c698e5bfe8d0f7257c3e71c. Retrieved 3 April 2009. 
3. ^ Croatian Chilean.
4. ^ Splitski osnovnoškolci rođeni u Čileu.
5. ^ hrvatski.
6. ^ (Spanish) Brač una isla "chilena" en la costa Dálmata
7. ^ Congreso Mundial Croata: Los croatas de Chile.

External links

• Diaspora Croata