thinned trading, while Chile's currency rose for the first time in eight sessions, up 0.1 percent in a shortened trading day.

The Colombian peso firmed after four straight days of losses.

Stocks markets declined between 0.2 percent and 0.6 percent as investor sentiment, already frayed by worries of a slowdown in global growth, worsened on the political uncertainty in the United States.

Financial markets in Brazil, Argentina and Peru were closed on Monday for Christmas Eve and Latin American markets will be closed on Tuesday for Christmas.