This artícle places the development of Chilean philosophy during the nineteenth century in a national intellectual and political context. It identifies the tensión between rationalism and faith as the organizing principie that guides the development of the discipline in Chile during the period. It argües that, in many ways due to the influence of Andrés Bello, Chilean philosophy managed to reconcile, not without conflict, Catholic traditions with modern secular philosophical currents. The creation of the Universidad de Chile played a critical role in this process, and thus philosophy developed in a primarily academic direction, monitored strongly from the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities. Emphasis is given in this article to the establishment of procedures for the teaching of the field in the national educational system.  This artícle places the development of Chilean philosophy during the nineteenth century in a national intellectual and political context. It identifies the tensión between rationalism and faith as the organizing principie that guides the development of the discipline in Chile during the period. It argües that, in many ways due to the influence of Andrés Bello, Chilean philosophy managed to reconcile, not without conflict, Catholic traditions with modern secular philosophical currents. The creation of the Universidad de Chile played a critical role in this process, and thus philosophy developed in a primarily academic direction, monitored strongly from the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities. Emphasis is given in this article to the establishment of procedures for the teaching of the field in the national educational system.