This paper presents a transcription of an unpublished lecture given by the German Andean archaeologist Max Uhle (1856- 1944) at Universidad de Chile in 1914. Here, Uhle presents his main assumptions on the ancient history of Chile, which he developed during his three years of residence and research in the country and which are also supported by his extensive research in the Central and Southern Andes. The lecture offers empirical and theoretical knowledge elaborated by Uhle to give account of the formation of cultures in the Chilean territory, namely: the distinction between anthropometric and civilizational evidence, the use of linguistic marks for cultural analysis, the development of time sequences from stylistic comparisons, the application of diffusionist notions to the phenomenon of historical and cultural contacts, and the identification of two types of “influences” on the nations of the current Chilean territory – “hordes” from the East and “civilizations” from the North, the latter being clearly distinguished by their Tiahuanaco and Inca “horizons”, allowing him to postulate the idea of “regional developments” in the Chilean territory.