Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death by suicide.

Much of the action within My Name is Emilia del Valle takes place within the context of the Chilean Civil War of 1891. This war began when President Jose Manuel Balmaceda began implementing taxes without congressional approval. Tensions escalated until congressional leaders left the capital of Santiago and gained the control and loyalty of the Chilean navy, wishing to act against what they saw as an autocratic leader. The president retained control of the military, and congressionalist forces struggled to gain supplies, arms, and ammunition, leading to the Itata incident described in Allende’s novel, in which rebels tried to ferry weapons from the United States to Chile.

While at first the Congressionalist rebel forces struggled to gain traction in the conflict, once they took control of Iquique, a port city, the rebellion became a more major force. Battles were waged throughout 1891, and the conflict came to an end in August of 1891 at the Battle of La Placilla. The government’s army was badly organized, and the Congressionalist army quickly defeated them. The president resigned from office and ultimately died by suicide. In the aftermath of the civil war, executive power was weakened, though the government still followed a parliamentary system (Wyckoff, Don P. “The Chilean Civil War, 1891.” Proceedings vol. 88/10/716, Oct. 1962).

The Chilean Civil War had major consequences on the global stage. Chile’s nitrate was an important international commodity because it was used both in farming as a fertilizer and in weapons production as an explosive. The United States saw Chile as an ally, and it supported the Chilean government under President Balmaceda while England supported the rebels. Even before the war, these foreign interests shaped Chile and its approach to the nitrate industry, exerting power over the smaller country (Thomas O’Brien. The Nitrate Industry and Chile’s Crucial Transition, 1870-1891. New York University Press, 1982).