Rodolfo Urbina was born in Castro in 1940, the son of Carlos Urbina Blanco and Adelina Burgos Gallegos. He was the brother of physician and writer Medardo Urbina, and of Flor, María Victoria, and Ernesto. He was also the father of historian
Ximena Urbina. After finishing secondary school, he moved to
Valparaíso, where he earned a degree as Professor of History and Geography at the
Catholic University of Valparaíso in 1971. Between 1971 and 2008, he served as full professor of American History at the
Institute of History. In 1980, he obtained a Ph.D. in History from the
University of Seville with a thesis on 18th-century Chiloé. Historians
Mario Góngora and
Héctor Herrera Cajas were his main intellectual influences. In 1987, he was elected
corresponding member of the
Chilean Academy of History, becoming a full member in 1999. He was also a full member of the Chilean Academy of Naval and Maritime History. == Recognition ==