The Chilean educational system has undergone multiple changes since its establishment in the mid-nineteenth century.  Several curriculum frameworks have been implemented, which has meant that school subjects have been modified in terms of objectives, content, pedagogy, and assessment.  Although a considerable amount of research and policy initiatives have been undertaken relating to curriculum reform in Chile, there has been little research on the teaching of history as a school subject.  This study is offered as one contribution to rectifying the deficit. It aims at developing an understanding of the historical background to the teaching of history for secondary school in Chile from the origins of the system of education until recently.  The research is located within the interpretivist paradigm and adopts grounded theory approaches to data gathering and analysis.  Official historical and contemporary documents that have led to the current curriculum framework for secondary school history, particularly programmes of study, have been collected and analysed.  The study demonstrates that the secondary school history curriculum in Chile has been characterised by the pre-eminence of the great tradition approach to teaching history.  Keywords: history teaching, study programmes, secondary school, Chilehttp://dx.doi.org/10.7764/PEL.52.1.2015.9The Chilean educational system has undergone multiple changes since its establishment in the mid-nineteenth century.  Several curriculum frameworks have been implemented, which has meant that school subjects have been modified in terms of objectives, content, pedagogy, and assessment.  Although a considerable amount of research and policy initiatives have been undertaken relating to curriculum reform in Chile, there has been little research on the teaching of history as a school subject.  This study is offered as one contribution to rectifying the deficit. It aims at developing an understanding of the historical background to the teaching of history for secondary school in Chile from the origins of the system of education until recently.  The research is located within the interpretivist paradigm and adopts grounded theory approaches to data gathering and analysis.  Official historical and contemporary documents that have led to the current curriculum framework for secondary school history, particularly programmes of study, have been collected and analysed.  The study demonstrates that the secondary school history curriculum in Chile has been characterised by the pre-eminence of the great tradition approach to teaching history.  Keywords: history teaching, study programmes, secondary school, Chilehttp://dx.doi.org/10.7764/PEL.52.1.2015.9