History of Chile the Spaniards at the Battle of Chacabuco on February 12 and marking the beginning of the "Patria Nueva". San Martín considered the liberation of Chile a strategic stepping-stone to the emancipation of Peru, which he saw as the key to hemispheric victory over the Spanish. Chile won its formal independence when San Martín defeated the last large Spanish force on Chilean soil at the Battle of Maipú on April 5, 1818. San Martín then led his Argentine and Chilean followers north to liberate Peru; and fighting continued in Chile's southern provinces, the bastion of the royalists, until 1826. A declaration
San Bernardo, Chile Girardi Lavín (PPD) and Andrés Allamand (RN) as part of the 7th senatorial constituency (Santiago-West). At a national level, San Bernardo is characterized as the capital of Chilean folkloric traditions. This is mainly due to two annual events held in the commune: the “Festival Nacional del Folklore de San Bernardo” (english: San Bernardo’s National Festival of Folklore) and “Abril Cuecas Mil” (english: A Thousand Cuecas April). Festival Nacional del Folklore The Festival Nacional del Folklore de San Bernardo has been held at the end of February since 1972 and draws participants and spectators from all around the country. The festival