Ministry of the Interior (Chile) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ministry of the Interior

Ministerio del Interior
Traditional seal
Government logo
Agency overview
Formed	2011
Type	Ministry
Jurisdiction	Government of Chile
Headquarters	Santiago
Ministers responsible	Álvaro Elizalde, Minister of the Interior Víctor Ramos Muñoz, Undersecretary of the Interior Francisca Perales, Undersecretary of Regional Development Carolina Leitao, Undersecretary of Crime Prevention
Child agencies	Agencia Nacional de Inteligencia Carabineros de Chile Investigations Police of Chile ONEMI
Website	Official website: http://www.interior.gob.cl/

The Ministry of the Interior (in Spanish: Ministerio del Interior) is a major part of the Government of Chile. Think of it as the department in charge of keeping things safe and orderly inside the country. Its main job is to "maintain public order, security and social peace."

This ministry helps the President of Chile carry out plans for the country. It also oversees local governments and regional leaders who are not elected. The current Minister of the Interior and Public Security is Álvaro Elizalde.

A special role for the Minister of the Interior is acting as 'vice president' if the president is away or unable to do their job. This is a temporary role, as Chile has not had an official Vice President position since 1833.

History of the Ministry

The ministry has a long history and has changed its name several times. It started during Chile's fight for independence.

Early Beginnings

The idea for this ministry began around 1812. At first, it was called the Secretariat of the Interior. However, when Spain took back control in 1814 after the Battle of Rancagua, it was shut down.

After Chile won its independence in 1818, the ministry was brought back. Over the years, it was in charge of different things, including relationships with other countries. In 1871, a separate ministry was created just for foreign relations.

How Its Name Changed

The ministry has been known by several names, which shows how its duties have evolved:

• Ministry of Government (1817–1818)
• Ministry of Government and Foreign Affairs (1818–1829)
• Ministry of the Interior and Foreign Affairs (1829–1871)
• Ministry of the Interior (1871–2011)
• Ministry of the Interior and Public Security (2011–present)

Past Ministers

Many important people have led this ministry throughout Chile's history. Here are some of the leaders from different time periods.

Patria Vieja Period (1810–1814)

This was the first phase of Chile's independence. The leaders were called Secretaries.

Picture	Name	Entered Office	Exited Office	Appointed by
	José Gaspar Marín Esquivel	18 September 1810	4 July 1811	Government Junta
	José Gregorio Argomedo Montero	18 September 1810	4 July 1811
	Manuel Joaquín de Valdivieso Maciel	10 August 1811	4 September 1811	Second Junta
	Agustín Vial Santelices	4 September 1811	15 November 1811	Third Junta
	José Gregorio Argomedo Montero	4 September 1811	15 November 1811
	Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza	16 December 1811	2 April 1812	Fifth Junta
	Agustín Vial Santelices	2 April 1812	1 April 1813	Sixth Junta
	Manuel de Salas Corbalán	1 April 1813	13 April 1813	Government Junta
	Mariano Egaña Fabres	1 April 1813	9 March 1814
	José María Villareal	14 March 1814	23 July 1814	Francisco de la Lastra
	Bernardo de Vera y Pintado	23 July 1814	10 August 1814	Government Junta
	Manuel Rodríguez Erdoíza	10 August 1814	2 October 1814

Government and Foreign Affairs (1817–1829)

After independence, the ministry handled both internal and external matters.

Picture	Name	Entered Office	Exited Office	Appointed by
	Miguel Zañartu y Santa María	18 February 1817	1 August 1818	Bernardo O'Higgins
	Antonio José de Irisarri Alonso	1 August 1818	30 October 1818
	Joaquín Echeverría Larraín	30 October 1818	28 January 1823
	Mariano Egaña Fabres	28 January 1823	12 July 1824	Government Junta
	Francisco Antonio Pinto Díaz	12 July 1824	22 February 1825	Ramón Freire
	Francisco Ramón Vicuña Larraín	22 February 1825	18 June 1825
	Juan de Dios Vial del Río	18 June 1825	9 October 1825
	Joaquín Campino Salamanca	9 October 1825	8 March 1826
	Ventura Blanco Encalada	8 March 1826	20 October 1826
	Manuel José Gandarillas Guzmán	20 October 1826	8 March 1827	Agustín Eyzaguirre

Interior and Foreign Affairs (1829–1871)

During this time, the ministry continued to manage both home and foreign policy.

Picture	Name	Entered Office	Exited Office	Appointed by
	Diego Portales Palazuelos	5 April 1830	31 August 1831	José Tomás Ovalle
	Ramón Errázuriz Aldunate	31 August 1831	17 May 1832	José Joaquín Prieto Vial
	Joaquín Tocornal Jiménez	17 May 1832	9 November 1835
	Diego Portales Palazuelos	9 November 1835	6 June 1837
	Manuel Montt Torres	25 July 1840	27 March 1841
	Ramón Luis Yrarrázaval Alcalde	19 May 1841	10 April 1845	Manuel Bulnes
	Manuel Montt Torres	10 April 1845	18 September 1846
	Manuel Camilo Vial Formas	18 September 1846	12 June 1849
	José Joaquín Pérez Mascayano	12 June 1849	19 April 1850
	Antonio Varas de la Barra	19 April 1850	18 September 1856	Manuel Montt
	Jerónimo Urmeneta García-Abello	29 September 1857	1 May 1860
	Manuel Alcalde Velasco	18 September 1861	9 July 1862	José Joaquín Pérez Mascayano
	Manuel Antonio Tocornal y Grez	9 July 1862	10 May 1864
	Belisario Prats Pérez	2 August 1870	18 September 1871

Additional information

See also

• Foreign relations of Chile
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile