The first Greek colony in Chile, South American country, it was in Antofagasta, coming from Crete for what they put as the last name Candia capital of the island, now called Heraklion. This first migration was in the XNUMXth century.
Many of the Greek descendants have formed colonies in Santiago, the Chilean capital, Valparaíso, Talcahuano, Puerto Mont, and Punta Arenas.
Chile is the Latin American country that has the most surnames of Greek origin, and one of the five countries in the world that has the most Greek descent, according to official data there are between 90.000 and 120.000.
The Greek colony of Antofagasta is the one that attracts the most attention for its deep-rooted patriotism. The consul of Greece in Antofagasta Ketty Farandato is a very prominent personality and has been given "the golden anchor", which is the most important distinction that the city gives.
The Greeks also took root in the arid lands of the Chilean north, attracted by the saltpeters and Chilean wealth.
Many Greeks who came to Chile at the beginning of the XNUMXth century they did it out of an adventurous spirit, to escape the First World War and the catastrophe in Smyrna.
The newspaper "El Mercurio" was very supportive of Greek immigrants, and said that between 1920 and 1935 in the north there were about 400 Greeks.
They were integrated into the local society, in 1926 they founded the female society "Friend of the poor", Philóptoxos.
El consul general of GreeceSatirakis visited Antofagasta in 1922 to form an association "Hellenic Society of Mutual Aids".
Miguel Politis of Greek descent, took the trouble to collect data from the newspaper "El Mercurio", about the Greeks to write his book "Greece and the Greeks."
In Chile there are very important people of Greek descent who still retain the Greek surname.