Santiago, Chile

Santiago
City in Chile
From top, left to right: The House of Worship for South America in Peñalolén; Colegio Nur in La Cisterna, 1980s; Bahá’ís of Santiago preparing for the Bicentenary of the birth of the Báb; and the skyline of downtown Santiago.
Location of Santiago
History: Firsts
-	Local Bahá'í	Senora Espinosa
-	Pioneers	Marcia Steward Atwater
-	Local Assembly	1943
Official Website		House of Worship website
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Santiago is the capital city of Chile. It is the site of the continental Bahá’í House of Worship for South America.

History

When Martha Root visited Chile in 1920 she was scheduled to visit Santiago however a storm delayed her train and prevented her from making her visit, although Dr. Frederico de Valles Vargas, the general secretary of the Theosophical Societies of Argentina, promised to tell the Theosophists of Santiago about the Bahá’í Faith on her behalf. In March 1940 Frederick and Elizabeth Laws made plans to pioneer to Santiago from the United States, however they were unable to secure visas preventing them from making the move.

In November 1940 Marcia Steward Atwater sailed to Chile intending to settle in Santiago, and by March 1941 she had secured a house for three months where she was hosting weekly meetings and she was rapidly learning Spanish. There was already a Spanish speaking Bahá’í, Senora Espinosa, living in the city when she arrived who did not speak any English. By May four people had declared through her efforts bringing the Bahá’í population of the city to six with two of the new declarants planning to establish a Summer School on their ranch in the south of Chile, and a well-functioning Bahá’í Group was established which elected officers in preparation for forming a Local Spiritual Assembly. As of October there were eleven Bahá’ís in Santiago and Atwater received encouragement to remain in Chile from some government officials she presented with Bahá’í literature, prompting her to plan to remain permanently as of December 1941.

As of February 1942 many of the Bahá’ís of Santiago had dispersed to other cities of Chile to expand the Faith. In March 1942 Atwater returned to California in the United States where she was making arrangements to return to Santiago, and Virginia Orbison pioneered to Santiago to replace her arriving in late September. During 1942 Paul Bravo of Santiago, who had translated some Bahá’í literature into Spanish, decided he wanted to become a Bahá’í although he was unable to immediately declare as he was only fourteen.

In 1943 the Local Spiritual Assembly of Santiago was established. Esteban Canales, who went on to serve as an inaugural Auxiliary Board member for the Americas, became a Bahá’í in Santiago at some point prior to 1944. He pioneered to Punta Arenas that year but returned to Santiago in October 1945. In November 1945 Mason Remey visited Santiago during a teaching tour of Central America. In 1946 Tony Fillon of Santiago prepared and distributed the first Spanish Bahá’í Bulletin. In June 1947 Artemus Lamb moved to Santiago with the blessing of Shoghi Effendi, and his sister Valeria Nichols and mother moved to join him to serve the Bahá’í community.

In January 1948 a Bahá’í Congress and summer school for the whole Bahá’í community of South America was held in Santiago, as of May the city was the seat of the newly established South American Teaching Committee, and as of July the Spanish Bahá’í Publishing Committee had been established in the city. In September a Regional Teaching Conference was held in Santiago. As of 1949 the South American Bulletin Committee and Radio Committee had been established with their seat in Santiago however the seat of the National Teaching Committee was moved that year. Amelia Collins visited Santiago during 1949.

In 1952 the Santiago community held a Bahá’í institute which had good attendance and stimulated interest in the Faith. In 1953 the community commemorated the opening of the Ten Year Crusade with proclamation of the Faith, securing broadcasts on the religion on four local radio stations, organizing a talk at the Y.W.C.A., and holding a large public meeting at the national library. They also organized a display of the map of goals of the Crusade in a shop window. In 1954 the Convention of South America held to elect its Regional Spiritual Assembly was held in Santiago.