The original people of Santiago were Indian tribes such as the Mapuches or the Picunches. Later, the Spaniards came and colonized. The War of Independence from Spain was in 1810-18, and it didn't damage Santiago very much. O'Higgins, who had been a leader in fighting with the Spaniards, became a dictator until 1823. Later, they fought a war against Peru. that expanded Chilean territory, then fought the War of the Pacific with Peru and Bolivia. The became industrialized before WWI. They then had a dictator who was pro-Nazi, but in 1944, led his country into war on the side of the Allies. In 1970, Salvador Allende became the first president in a non-Communist country freely elected on the Marxist program. In September, 1973, Allende was overthrown and killed in a military coup that was covertly sponsored by CIA, that ended a 16-year era of constitutional government in Chile.