Bernardo O'Higgins accepted the position instead, and became the leader of an independent Chile. He was granted dictatorial powers as Supreme Director on 16 February 1817. On 12 February 1818, Chile proclaimed itself an independent republic. Throughout the war with the royalists, O'Higgins had engaged in an ongoing feud with José Miguel Carrera. After their retreat in 1814, O'Higgins had fared much better than Carrera, who found little support forthcoming from San Martín, O'Higgins' political ally. Carrera was imprisoned to prevent his involvement in Chilean affairs; after his escape, he ended up taking the winning side in the Argentine Federalist war, helping
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