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Small Earthquakes: A Journey Through Lost British History in South America
Small Earthquakes uncovers the fascinating story of Britain's forgotten connections with South America, from the Atacama Desert to Tierra del Fuego, Easter Island to South Georgia.
Blending travel writing, history and reportage, award-winning journalist and author Shafik Meghji tells a tale of footballers and pirates, nitrate kings and wool barons, polar explorers and cowboys, missionaries and radical MPs. From a ghost town in one of the world's driest deserts to a far-flung ranch in the sub-polar tundra; rusting whaling stations in the South Atlantic to an isolated railway built by convicts; the southernmost city on the planet to a crumbling port known as the 'Jewel of the Pacific', he brings to life the past, present and future of this remarkable continent. He sheds light on Britain's impact on Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, from sparking wars, forging national identities and redrawing borders to its tangled role in their colonisation and decolonisation. But it also reveals how these countries, in turn, have shaped Britain in profound and unexpected ways, from Fray Bentos to the Falklands.
Drawing on more than fifteen years of living, working and travelling in South America, Meghji offers a sweeping account of an overlooked--but enduringly relevant--shared history.
Blending travel writing, history and reportage, award-winning journalist and author Shafik Meghji tells a tale of footballers and pirates, nitrate kings and wool barons, polar explorers and cowboys, missionaries and radical MPs. From a ghost town in one of the world's driest deserts to a far-flung ranch in the sub-polar tundra; rusting whaling stations in the South Atlantic to an isolated railway built by convicts; the southernmost city on the planet to a crumbling port known as the 'Jewel of the Pacific', he brings to life the past, present and future of this remarkable continent. He sheds light on Britain's impact on Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, from sparking wars, forging national identities and redrawing borders to its tangled role in their colonisation and decolonisation. But it also reveals how these countries, in turn, have shaped Britain in profound and unexpected ways, from Fray Bentos to the Falklands.
Drawing on more than fifteen years of living, working and travelling in South America, Meghji offers a sweeping account of an overlooked--but enduringly relevant--shared history.
- GenresTravelNonfictionHistory
304 pages, Hardcover
Published October 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 8, 2025
I guess it says a lot about me that I am most fascinated reading about places where there are not a lot of people. This played out exactly as expected when I read Shafik Meghji's Small Earthquakes.
Meghji looks at the legacy of British interventions (which is putting it lightly in some cases) in South America. I should clarify that the author mostly focuses on the southern parts of South America such as Argentina, Uruguay, Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), and portions of Chile. It is part travelogue and part history in what becomes a very enjoyable read.
Back to my personality fault (superpower?). While the whole book was a fun and informative read, not all sections were equal. I found the beginning chapters a bit slower as Meghji spends some time in the more populated areas and focuses on random historical buildings while telling stories. For me, once the author gets to the chapters like South Georgia is where the book fully takes off. The stories are a bit more focused and the travelogue becomes much more informative about what type of place Meghji is traveling to.
Basically, you should pick this one up, and give the narrative a little time to pull you in.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by the author.)
Meghji looks at the legacy of British interventions (which is putting it lightly in some cases) in South America. I should clarify that the author mostly focuses on the southern parts of South America such as Argentina, Uruguay, Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), and portions of Chile. It is part travelogue and part history in what becomes a very enjoyable read.
Back to my personality fault (superpower?). While the whole book was a fun and informative read, not all sections were equal. I found the beginning chapters a bit slower as Meghji spends some time in the more populated areas and focuses on random historical buildings while telling stories. For me, once the author gets to the chapters like South Georgia is where the book fully takes off. The stories are a bit more focused and the travelogue becomes much more informative about what type of place Meghji is traveling to.
Basically, you should pick this one up, and give the narrative a little time to pull you in.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by the author.)
April 22, 2026
South America is much less written about than the Northern part of the continent. Meghji hope in this book to address this deficiency by writing about the British influence (and control and coercion; usual story) in the region.
He begins the book in Argentina, a country that we went to war with in the 1980s over the Falkland Islands. HE describes how the British shaped the country, so much so that almost no one there likes the English. The Scots, Welsh and Irish people and cultures that are still there are liked though…
His next stop is Uruguay. Another country that has suffered from excessive British influence since the early 1800s. I liked finding out about the place, as there are very few books about the country, especially travel books, though I do have a copy of The Purple Land that I really must read. Again, Meghji mixes a potted history of the country with a contemporary view as he travels around it.
For me, personally, the name Patagonia has a similar exotic feel as Zanzibar. It is evocative, though the reality of living there is very different to our perceptions of the place.
There is a small part of Patagonia that is forever Wales. Known as Y Wladfa, it was founded in the 1860s after 153 people had left Wales with the intention of starting a new life. It was incredibly tough to begin with, but they stuck with it. They survived with the help of the local people, who taught them how to hunt. And it is still going. Meghji arrived there by bus. He tours the museum to fill in the gaps in his knowledge of the place. It is a fascinating place, and he unpacks their story in this chapter.
In the Chilean part of Patagonia, he joins a Puma tracker. He learns how they can disappear into this landscape; they will know that you are there, but you will never see them, even when really close. Meghji discovers more about the troubled and often traumatic history of the place. He follows the threads of occupation and learns more about the trauma that affected the locals, and how the British caused and influenced this. It is horrendous as I’d come to expect.
In the hilariously titled chapter ‘Two Men Fighting Over a Comb’, Meghji visits the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. I remember the Falklands War in the 1980s and the patriotism that was stirred up as we took military action to take back these remote islands. We won that war, and the Argentinian government fell after, but the legacy lives on. We still have a military base there, and the Argentinian’s would still like them back; the swirling of geopolitics never really ends. South Georgia is even more remote, and visiting there is a reminder of how much we have devastated the natural world in the past, and probably would do so again, given half a chance. Bloody horrific.
Tiera de Fuego is rightly titled the end of the world. It is a bleak and harsh environment where some people still made their home, though in the usual way, these people were considered savages by incoming Westerners, rather than being considered innovative and adaptable. This was probably the reason they could then justify the cruel and brutal treatment that they dished out to the people there. Meghji travels as far south as he can by road, which is frozen by the weather, and notes just how quickly the weather can change in this part of the world. He unpacks some of the history of the place and learns about a missionary family that came over with the intention of converting the locals.
Rapa Nui, or as the rest of the world knows it, Easter Island, is a tiny scrap of land in the vast Pacific. How anyone managed to find it is beyond me. It is often used as an example of how using all the resources up condemns a society to collapse. As usual, the British turned up and purloined a number of items. They have so far resisted calls from the people still there to return these stolen items to their rightful place.
The thinnest country of Chile, has had a tumultuous past. There was the brutal dictatorship of Pinochet, a particularly nasty individual, who with his henchmen, tormented the country and the people. Reaching further back in the history of the country, you will find British influence and control over the most valuable resources of the country. These were exploited as much as the locals were neglected. Reading stories like this is a reminder of why we are not universally liked around the world.
The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on the planet, sometimes having less than 1mm of rain a year. Even so, it was still home to a substantial number of people who knew how to make a living in the region. Meghji discovers the antics that the British got up to. They backed the unsavoury people as usual, with the interest in profit and making money rather than having the slightest care about people’s lives and their families.
This was an enlightening read in lots of ways. I knew the odd thing about South American history from the occasional book that I had read in the past. However, I had no idea quite how extensive British influence was in the region, and to be honest, having now read this book, most of what we did there in the past was pretty appalling. Meghji’s prose is written in a dispassionate way, he wants to present the facts and leave me, the reader, with enough information to make an informed decision about what happened there and to whom. The facts do not make for pleasant reading, though, so you can imagine what I think of this…
If the book had one flaw, for me at least, I didn’t think that there was enough about Meghji’s travels in the region. The history he recounts is important, but I felt that it dominated the narrative a little too much. That said, context is important and knowing how people are in the situation that they are in today, we need to know where they started and the things that have happened to them. If you are a fan of geopolitics, then this would be right up your street. However, if you are hoping that there would be more descriptions about the travel, then it might not be for you. However, if you have any interest in South America, then I would highly recommend this book.
He begins the book in Argentina, a country that we went to war with in the 1980s over the Falkland Islands. HE describes how the British shaped the country, so much so that almost no one there likes the English. The Scots, Welsh and Irish people and cultures that are still there are liked though…
His next stop is Uruguay. Another country that has suffered from excessive British influence since the early 1800s. I liked finding out about the place, as there are very few books about the country, especially travel books, though I do have a copy of The Purple Land that I really must read. Again, Meghji mixes a potted history of the country with a contemporary view as he travels around it.
For me, personally, the name Patagonia has a similar exotic feel as Zanzibar. It is evocative, though the reality of living there is very different to our perceptions of the place.
There is a small part of Patagonia that is forever Wales. Known as Y Wladfa, it was founded in the 1860s after 153 people had left Wales with the intention of starting a new life. It was incredibly tough to begin with, but they stuck with it. They survived with the help of the local people, who taught them how to hunt. And it is still going. Meghji arrived there by bus. He tours the museum to fill in the gaps in his knowledge of the place. It is a fascinating place, and he unpacks their story in this chapter.
In the Chilean part of Patagonia, he joins a Puma tracker. He learns how they can disappear into this landscape; they will know that you are there, but you will never see them, even when really close. Meghji discovers more about the troubled and often traumatic history of the place. He follows the threads of occupation and learns more about the trauma that affected the locals, and how the British caused and influenced this. It is horrendous as I’d come to expect.
In the hilariously titled chapter ‘Two Men Fighting Over a Comb’, Meghji visits the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. I remember the Falklands War in the 1980s and the patriotism that was stirred up as we took military action to take back these remote islands. We won that war, and the Argentinian government fell after, but the legacy lives on. We still have a military base there, and the Argentinian’s would still like them back; the swirling of geopolitics never really ends. South Georgia is even more remote, and visiting there is a reminder of how much we have devastated the natural world in the past, and probably would do so again, given half a chance. Bloody horrific.
Tiera de Fuego is rightly titled the end of the world. It is a bleak and harsh environment where some people still made their home, though in the usual way, these people were considered savages by incoming Westerners, rather than being considered innovative and adaptable. This was probably the reason they could then justify the cruel and brutal treatment that they dished out to the people there. Meghji travels as far south as he can by road, which is frozen by the weather, and notes just how quickly the weather can change in this part of the world. He unpacks some of the history of the place and learns about a missionary family that came over with the intention of converting the locals.
Rapa Nui, or as the rest of the world knows it, Easter Island, is a tiny scrap of land in the vast Pacific. How anyone managed to find it is beyond me. It is often used as an example of how using all the resources up condemns a society to collapse. As usual, the British turned up and purloined a number of items. They have so far resisted calls from the people still there to return these stolen items to their rightful place.
The thinnest country of Chile, has had a tumultuous past. There was the brutal dictatorship of Pinochet, a particularly nasty individual, who with his henchmen, tormented the country and the people. Reaching further back in the history of the country, you will find British influence and control over the most valuable resources of the country. These were exploited as much as the locals were neglected. Reading stories like this is a reminder of why we are not universally liked around the world.
The Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on the planet, sometimes having less than 1mm of rain a year. Even so, it was still home to a substantial number of people who knew how to make a living in the region. Meghji discovers the antics that the British got up to. They backed the unsavoury people as usual, with the interest in profit and making money rather than having the slightest care about people’s lives and their families.
This was an enlightening read in lots of ways. I knew the odd thing about South American history from the occasional book that I had read in the past. However, I had no idea quite how extensive British influence was in the region, and to be honest, having now read this book, most of what we did there in the past was pretty appalling. Meghji’s prose is written in a dispassionate way, he wants to present the facts and leave me, the reader, with enough information to make an informed decision about what happened there and to whom. The facts do not make for pleasant reading, though, so you can imagine what I think of this…
If the book had one flaw, for me at least, I didn’t think that there was enough about Meghji’s travels in the region. The history he recounts is important, but I felt that it dominated the narrative a little too much. That said, context is important and knowing how people are in the situation that they are in today, we need to know where they started and the things that have happened to them. If you are a fan of geopolitics, then this would be right up your street. However, if you are hoping that there would be more descriptions about the travel, then it might not be for you. However, if you have any interest in South America, then I would highly recommend this book.
September 15, 2025
Meghji is a travel writer for Rough Guides, and here presents some highlights of his careful research on British influence and historical presence, in Latin America. British links to Asia and Africa are more visible. Britain helped launch the United States of America, but its associations to the south are less known. The book's title, comes from the winner of a 1920s Fleet Street ‘dullest headline’ competition, Small Earthquake in Chile. Not Many Dead. ‘The phrase characterises a certain British attitude to South America,’ he writes, ‘a distant place of little relevance.’
The focus of his writing is the continent’s Southern Cone, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, where British presence, predominantly in the 19th and 20th centuries, was particularly felt. Having lived and worked in Chile for 5 years (2007-11) I was familiar with some, not all, of Meghji's topics, but found his writing to be extremely readable, hitting that fine balancing act in respecting the reader's previous knowledge, and yet not overloading them with facts.
In Bolivia he encounters the strange sight of a graveyard of British constructed trains on the edge of the world’s largest salt flat. In southern Brazil he visits a town constructed by a British railway company. But its in Argentina and Chile where his compelling material is found. From the Falklands and South Gerogia, to Tierra del Fuego and the Atacama, he travels and relates his experiences and his meetings with local people with the skill of the best travel writers - from polar explorers to the voyages of Fitzroy, to the dubious ties with the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
This is a high quality piece of travel writing, and elevates its author's status from the realms of guide books to something much more entertaining to the armchair traveller.
The focus of his writing is the continent’s Southern Cone, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay, where British presence, predominantly in the 19th and 20th centuries, was particularly felt. Having lived and worked in Chile for 5 years (2007-11) I was familiar with some, not all, of Meghji's topics, but found his writing to be extremely readable, hitting that fine balancing act in respecting the reader's previous knowledge, and yet not overloading them with facts.
In Bolivia he encounters the strange sight of a graveyard of British constructed trains on the edge of the world’s largest salt flat. In southern Brazil he visits a town constructed by a British railway company. But its in Argentina and Chile where his compelling material is found. From the Falklands and South Gerogia, to Tierra del Fuego and the Atacama, he travels and relates his experiences and his meetings with local people with the skill of the best travel writers - from polar explorers to the voyages of Fitzroy, to the dubious ties with the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
This is a high quality piece of travel writing, and elevates its author's status from the realms of guide books to something much more entertaining to the armchair traveller.
July 6, 2025
I loved this book from start to finish. Shafik writes so well and uncovers so much of the hidden histories from the Southern Cone. As someone who is based in Latin America, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone considering investigating more about the region or planning on visiting. It's entertaining and fascinating.
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November 28, 2025Small Earthquakes, AJourney Through Lost British History in South America
Shafik Meghji's new book, Small Earthquakes; A journey through Lost British History in South America, is an extensive look at the history of Britain and its interaction with three major countries in South America: Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The story takes you on a journey through a time when the British Empire dominated much of the world including South America. From sheep farming to meat export, the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery to whaling, and the introduction of the sports of football and cricket, the impact has been monumental. It all begins incongruously with Shafik's visit to the historic Sewage Works in Buenos Aires known as the Palace of Running Waters (Palacio del Aguas Corrientes). The buikding was finished in 1894 and was originally a water pumping station. Now, it houses offices and even a museum. It is more on the order of a majestic museum or Manor House than anything to do with sanitarion. This is just one of the many tales that make up this fascinating read. Enjoy!
Shafik Meghji's new book, Small Earthquakes; A journey through Lost British History in South America, is an extensive look at the history of Britain and its interaction with three major countries in South America: Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. The story takes you on a journey through a time when the British Empire dominated much of the world including South America. From sheep farming to meat export, the Heroic Age of Antarctic discovery to whaling, and the introduction of the sports of football and cricket, the impact has been monumental. It all begins incongruously with Shafik's visit to the historic Sewage Works in Buenos Aires known as the Palace of Running Waters (Palacio del Aguas Corrientes). The buikding was finished in 1894 and was originally a water pumping station. Now, it houses offices and even a museum. It is more on the order of a majestic museum or Manor House than anything to do with sanitarion. This is just one of the many tales that make up this fascinating read. Enjoy!
January 11, 2026
Excellent book on a really intriguing subject. I had no idea on the extent of British influence in South. Part History, part travel log, Meghji captures a truly fascinating history and influence in a captivating, engaging, and accessible manner. I found the prose and flow entrancing and really conjured up great images in the minds eye. Meghji utilises a modern approach to history recognising the indigenous peoples, and crimes and effects of British imperial presence, as well as the more positive legacies. It has ignited an interest for further reading on South America. The only downside is it was a bit too short, and kept me wanting more! Looking forward to future work from the author.
4.5 stars overall but closer to 5.
4.5 stars overall but closer to 5.
October 16, 2025
A very enjoyable travel / history book - I've read a few good books about Latin American history (Patria by Laurence Blair earlier this year to name one) but Shafik has a good fresh angle on it and gets the balance between information, analysis, reflection and anecdote spot on.
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