Mapuche
Sign in to saveThe Mapuche ( , ), also known as Araucanians, are a group of Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who share a common social, religious, and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage as Mapudungun speakers. Their homelands once extended from Choapa Valley to the Chiloé Archipelago and later spread eastward to Puelmapu, a land comprising part of the Argentine pampa and Patagonia. Today, the Mapuche represent 77.16% of Chile’s indig
AI overview
The Mapuche are an Indigenous people living in south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina who share a common language (Mapudungun), culture, and social structures across various distinct groups. They represent a significant portion of Chile's Indigenous population today, though their ancestral homelands once stretched across a much larger territory from the Choapa Valley to Patagonia.
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Key facts
- Ethnic group.group
- Mapuche
- Ethnic group.flag
- Ancient mapuche flag.svg
- Ethnic group.flag_caption
- Traditional flag of the Mapuche
- Ethnic group.image
- Mujeres mapuches en la entrega terreno a Comunidad Mapuche Lorenzo Quintrileo de Tirúa.jpg
- Ethnic group.caption
- Mapuche women from Tirúa in 2015
- Ethnic group.pop
- c. 1,768,856
- Ethnic group.region1
- Chile
- Ethnic group.pop1
- 1,623,073 (2024)
- Ethnic group.region2
- Argentina
- Ethnic group.pop2
- 145,783 (2022)
- Ethnic group.ref2
- (Pehuenche)
- Ethnic group.religions
- Traditional, Catholicism, Evangelicalism, Jehovah's Witnesses
Article
29 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Pre-Columbian period
- Arauco War
- Boroano people
- Incorporation into Chile and Argentina
- Modern political conflict (1990–present)
- Culture
- Mapuche languages
- Cosmology and beliefs
- Ethnobotany
- Ceremonies and traditions
- Textiles
- Clava hand-club
- Silverwork
- Literature
- Cogender views
- Mapuche, Chileans, and the Chilean state
- Civilizing mission discourses and scientific racism
- Contemporary attitudes
- Mapuches and the Argentine state
- Modern politics
- In popular culture
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- Further reading
- External links
The Mapuche ( , ), also known as Araucanians, are a group of Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who share a common social, religious, and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage as Mapudungun speakers. Their homelands once extended from Choapa Valley to the Chiloé Archipelago and later spread eastward to Puelmapu, a land comprising part of the Argentine pampa and Patagonia. Today, the Mapuche represent 77.16% of Chile’s indigenous peoples and about 8.8% of the total national population. The Mapuche are concentrated in the Araucanía region. Many have migrated from rural areas to the cities of Santiago and Buenos Aires to pursue economic opportunities. Around 92% of the Mapuches are from Chile.
The Mapuche traditional economy is based on agriculture; their traditional social organization consists of extended families, under the direction of a lonko or chief. In times of war, the Mapuche would unite in larger groupings and elect a toki (meaning "axe" or "axe-bearer") to lead them. Mapuche material culture is known for its textiles and silverwork.