'Valiant race, tenacious race, heroic, indomitable and implacable': The War of the Pacific (1879--1884) and the role of racial ideas in the construction of Chilean identity

This study investigates how ideas of race influenced the ways in which Chileans perceived themselves following the War of the Pacific (1879--1884). Drawing on dominant nineteenth century theories of social evolution and pseudo scientific ideas of race, Chileans believed that their victory in the war over Peru and Bolivia was proof of their innate superiority. Chileans argued that their racial uniqueness stemmed from their Basque and Araucanian heritage, which they believed engendered superior physical and moral qualities.