Transnational histories of the Holocaust identify Latin America as a potentially safe haven from the mid-1930s. While Latin American governments generally imposed highly restrictive immigration policies, survivors were still able to arrive and settled in the region following long waits in Europe, or sometimes after emigrating elsewhere. Chile and Mexico became locations of arrival at several periods of immigration. Both countries are characterised by national histories of relative political instability, economic and institutional development, antisemitism and immigration. Nevertheless, their histories were also very distinct: Chile had a military dictatorship while Mexico did not. Differing contexts of reception, structural conditions and local interactions with political and social actors led to the creation of both ‘home’ and ‘transitional spaces’ by Holocaust survivors in Chile and Mexico.