Eusko Etxea - Casa Vasca de Chile

The Euzko Etxea of Santiago has brought together the Basques of the Chilean capital since 1950, and its origins lie in the Centro Basco formed on 21 March 1912. That first centre had no fixed premises and its members met in various places; one of the aims set out in its statutes was, precisely, to find one with a library and a fronton or trinquete. In 1931 the Euzko Gastedija, a youth organisation of nationalist character, was born within it as an affiliate, and the Spanish Civil War split it in two: on one side the supporters of the Basque Government, on the other some former board members who sympathised with Franco. Around 1949 the two sides reached an agreement, and in March 1950 the Euzko Etxea corporation was constituted, “the Basque house of the whole community living in Santiago”. Its headquarters at Avenida Vicuña Mackenna 547, with a euskaltegi inside, was completed in 1980.