Progressive Chile

by Robert E. Mansfield

NAME.

The name of Chile is of doubtful origin. During the Inca epoch it was called Tilli, that being the name of a powerful and popular Araucanian chief. It was pronounced “tele,” which translated means enemy. From changes in the pronunciation, the word was finally converted into Chile. Some authorities say that the name is derived from the Indian word “Tchile,” or “Techile,” which signifies cold, having direct reference to the snows of the Cordilleras, or the glaciers of the far south.