Oh Chile, largo pétalo
de mar y vino y nieve… Pablo Neruda

There are several theories as to the origin of the name Chile”. One of the most outstanding feature writers referring to this designation is abbé Molina, a Chilean scholar and historian who asserted that “Chile” derives from the Mapuche word trih or chi, a voice used to call a local bird.
 
According to Diego de Rosales, a researcher from the XVIII century,“Chile” was the name of the native tribal chief who governed the valley of the Aconcagua before the occupation of the Inca Empire. In turn, for historian Ricardo Latcham, it was the Incas who brought along a group of mitimaes natives who gave the region the name of “Chile”, the same name they had given to a river in Peru.