Chile Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Chile appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 9 different states, among them Chile, Viceroyalty of Peru, Tiahuanaco Empire, Inca Empire, Aymara kingdoms.
ChileExplore the history of Chile in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Chile as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Chile, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| AD 600 | Tiahuanaco Empire 22% |
| AD 700 | Tiahuanaco Empire 22% |
| AD 800 | Tiahuanaco Empire 22% |
| AD 900 | Tiahuanaco Empire 22% |
| 1000 | Tiahuanaco Empire 32% |
| 1100 | Tiahuanaco Empire 32% |
| 1200 | Tiahuanaco Empire 32% |
| 1300 | Aymara kingdoms 22% |
| 1400 | Aymara kingdoms 22% |
| 1492 | Wallmapu (Mapuche) 32% · Aónikenk (Tehuelche) 14% · Inca Empire 5% |
| 1500 | Inca Empire 49% |
| 1600 | Viceroyalty of Peru 32% |
| 1650 | Viceroyalty of Peru 57% |
| 1700 | Viceroyalty of Peru 57% |
| 1783 | Viceroyalty of Peru 57% |
| 1800 | Viceroyalty of Peru 57% |
| 1815 | Viceroyalty of Peru 57% |
| 1880 | Chile 73% · Peru 14% · Bolivia 8% |
| 1900 | Chile 73% · Peru 14% · Bolivia 8% |
| 1914 | Chile 95% |
| 1920 | Chile 100% |
| 1930 | Chile 100% |
| 1938 | Chile 100% |
| 1945 | Chile 100% |
| 1960 | Chile 100% |
| 1994 | Chile 100% |
| 2010 | Chile 100% |
Historic cities in Chile
Famous people of Chile
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1778 – 1850 | José de San Martín | Leader of South American independence |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Chile?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Chile belonged to Chile, Viceroyalty of Peru, Tiahuanaco Empire, Inca Empire, Aymara kingdoms, Wallmapu (Mapuche), along with 3 other states.
What was Chile part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Chile lay within Tiahuanaco Empire.
What was Chile part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Chile lay within Inca Empire.
What was Chile part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Chile lay within Chile.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.