Chile 1962 Airmail Stamps: Alonso de Ercilla and Gabriela Mistral

Chile · 1962 · 0.10 + 0.10 Escudos, 0.20 + 0.20 Escudos

This set of two Chilean airmail stamps from 1962 commemorates prominent literary figures. One stamp features Alonso de Ercilla, a 16th-century Spanish epic poet, while the other depicts Gabriela Mistral, a renowned Chilean poet and Nobel laureate. The stamps bear the inscription 'ESPAÑA A CHILE', signifying their use for airmail service between the two nations.

Alonso de Ercilla was a Spanish poet whose epic poem 'La Araucana' chronicled the Spanish conquest of Chile. Gabriela Mistral, a Chilean poet, diplomat, and educator, was the first Latin American author to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945. These stamps highlight the deep cultural and literary ties between Spain and Chile.