The Mapuche: Images From The Past |
A Mapuche Cacique, or Chief in his tribal burial ground.The story of the Mapuche people starts in the ancient prehistory of the Chilean and Patagonian regions. It was in these fertile valleys that the Araucanian culture first began to develop, but due to a lack of written history we know very little of these beginnings. In the 18th century many explorers and naturalists were entering southern Chile in hope of documenting and studying the last remote vestiges of the Aracuanian nation, the Mapuche tribes. Today the Mapuche are reclaiming their rights to their land, but their ancient way of life has all but vanished. These photos are a testament to the culture, beliefs, and way of life of the Mapuche in the last few centuries before their assimilation with the Chilean people.. |