 Maximiano Errazuriz studied in Santiago and later settled in Valparaíso, Chile, which at the time was one of the main ports of Chile and South America.There he met his future wife, Amalia Urmeneta Quiroga, daughter of , who was the wealthiest man in the country.Maximiano and Amalia were married in 1855, when she was 18 and he was 22 years old.