This article presents the legislative evolution of the institution of sole custody of children in the Chilean legal system, showing the legal consecration of the institution and its legal modifications. Moreover, it goes further into the current situation of the said institution, addressing topics such as parental co-responsibility, shared custody, parents' situations of inability and the exercise of sole custody by different people. Finally, a brief projective analysis of the issue is made in the light of international human rights law standards and the contemporary Chilean reality.