The Order of the Merit of Chile is a Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an military decoration and was created in 1929. Succeeding the Medal of the Merit, it was created during the term of the President

President of Chile

The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...

 Germán Riesco

Germán Riesco

Germán Riesco Errázuriz was a Chilean political figure, and he served as President of Chile between 1901 and 1906.-Early life:...

 through the Minister of War decree No. 1350 on September 4, 1906. This new national distinction was created to correspond the attention served by foreign army to Chilean officials.

The first 200 military medals were minted in gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 and silver

Silver

Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...

, giving them the title of First and Second Class. They were minted at the Casa de la Moneda, having a tricolor ribbon. The order had three classes: First Class, Second Class, and Third Class; but later a new class was added (Grand Officer) that would be awarded to heads of state. In 1925, all the classes were renamed to:

• Collar
• Grand Officer
• Knight commander
• Officer
• Knight

The order is only awarded to foreigners.

Ribbon bars
Knight	Officer	Commander	Grand Officer	Grand Cross	Collar