 After the failed liberal revolution of 1848 in the German states, a noticeable German immigration took place, laying the foundation for the German Chileans.Sponsored by the Chilean government to "unbarbarize" and colonize the southern region, these Germans (notably the Swiss, Silesians, Alsatians and Austrians) settled mainly in Valdivia, Osorno and Llanquihue.Descendants of different European ethnic groups often intermarried in Chile.