…The difficulties he had experienced in the valleys of central Chile, the indigenous uprisings and his unfulfilled aspirations, weighed heavily in his decision. Added to this was the news from…
South Central
…to reorganize themselves. Pedro de Valdivia knew that he would have to weaken the insurgent indigenous groups that had taken refuge in the Aconcagua and Mapocho valleys. He also was…
The condor and the shepherdess
…A girl was seated on the edge of a chacuña –a semi-circle of stones where the shepherdesses went to do their weaving. As she watched her flock in the…
Expedition of the Seven Explorers
…Seven young men came. The first was called Ira, the second Raparenga, the third Ku’uku’u A’Huatava, the fourth Ringiringi A’Huatava, the fifth Nonoma A’Huatava, the sixth U’Ure A’Huatava and…
Semi-Arid North
…the watersheds of Copiapó, Huasco, Elqui, Limarí and Choapa. In 1535, this zone was inhabited by the Copiapo and Diaguita people, who numbered around 25,000. In the valleys, these groups…
The Fox and the Rabbit
…figure. He asked permission to pass, but when the figure did not respond, Rabbit approached it and slapped it angrily for not giving way. But Rabbit’s front paw stuck on…
Far South
…Terra Australis Incógnita, the ‘unknown southern land,’ had gradually become known. As more and more ships plied these waters—those of Magellan himself (1520), Juan Ladrillero (1558), Francis Drake (1578), Pedro…
The son of the animals
…The Mapuche people tell the story of a woman who was raped before her husband had returned home from war and who escaped into the forest to give birth…
The story of chimango
…to offer her his love, but she spurned him. Yo’okalía returned time and time again to her hut, and eventually she was persuaded and promised to become his wife. Yo’okalía…
The story of the wild goose couple
…In olden times, the only clothing a woman wore was her mas haka-na and loincloth, and she usually removed the latter inside the hut. Once there was a mother…
The story of the Shepherdess
…In the countryside close to town, a shepherdess was watching her flock when a young man came down the hill, dressed in fine clothes, and began to profess his…
Horticulturists
…One of the great revolutions in human history was the domestication of plants. Once humans began cultivating plants, they quickly became the principal source of food in the…
Settlement patterns
…Prior to the 16th Century, the Mapuches are thought to have lived a dispersed and nomadic existence and their way of life was characterized by gathering and by slash…
Makemake the Creator
…As told by Arturo Teao Tori Makemake was alone, and this was not good. He picked up a gourd filled with water and peered inside. Makemake’s reflection entered the…
Instrumentos musicales mapuche 1
…Pinkullwe Machi Juana Raimán. Quetrahue – Kultrung Carlos Queupumil – Makawa Carlos Queupumil. Kachím – Wada Machi Hilda Meliqueo. Collahue – Kadkawilla Miguel Raimán. Quetrahue – Trompe Descargar carátula…
The devils`tale
…Out in the country, far from a small town about half the size of Toconce, a small group of farmers lived beside their fields. There was no church nearby…
Location and Environment
…freshwater springs and pools that are used by the local inhabitants to water their crops and their animals, and they provide essential water for high altitude pasturelands as well. In…
Mapuche
…as we understand it). It is a way of conveying ideas, expressing emotions and communicating the interior self, and for this reason it does not matter whether one is a…