Una forma moderna de sociabilidad: inicio de la Masonería en Chile (1862)

The present study is a heuristic and interpretative analysis of, the foundational history of masonry in Chile during the second half of the nineteenth century. For this purpose, I identified the entrance routes of foreigners into Latin American and Chile. Masonry entered into Chile through the Pacific ports of Valparaíso and Talcahuano. Thanks to the mobility of merchants, artisans and professionals of British, French and North American descent, the masonic Order was established in the cities of Concepción and Copiapó. The institutionalization of masonry in Chile started with the foundation of the Gran Logia de Chile (The Great Lodge of Chile) in 1862, which favored the consolidation of the Order inside the country. In the next decades, masonry expands to other cities with the foundation of lodges involving Chileans as well.