Chiloé, the large island archipelago in southern Chile, maintained a semi-autonomous monetary system during the early 19th century, issuing its own copper coinage when mainland supply lines collapsed during the independence wars. This 2025 issue references that isolation — Chiloé was, remarkably, the last Spanish royalist holdout in South America, not surrendering until January 1826, nearly three years after the rest of Chile had fully transitioned to republican governance.
Chiloé, the large island archipelago in southern Chile, maintained a semi-autonomous monetary system during the early 19th century, issuing its own copper coinage when mainland supply lines collapsed during the independence wars. This 2025 issue references that isolation — Chiloé was, remarkably, the last Spanish royalist holdout in South America, not surrendering until January 1826, nearly three years after the rest of Chile had fully transitioned to republican governance.