Native Peoples in Chile - The official travel guide to Chile

Native Peoples

Chile has nine native ethnicities, the most populous of which is the Mapuche. This community became renowned for their indomitable spirit as they resisted Spanish conquistadors for more than three centuries. Many Mapuche continue to live according to their traditions and speak Mapudungún.

In recent years, Lake Budi (located an hour from Temuco) has become an interesting destination for ethno-tourism. Here, you can sleep in a hut, sample traditional Mapuche cuisine, and experience their culture first-hand. If you want to learn more about their history and their crafts, visit the excellent Mapuche Museum of Cañete (located 135 km from Concepción in the region of Biobío).

The Aymara live in small and arid altiplano villages like Putre, Parinacota, Isluga and Colchane. Cariquima is one of the best-preserved examples, featuring a lively church, straw-roofed houses and a community organized to receive visitors. Here you can see women knitting colorful crafts and sample the classic Ayamra dish carne de camélido (llama and alpaca meat) with quinoa.

On Easter Island, you can spend time with the Rapa Nui people, who live among the mysterious Moai statues. You can learn about their mythology, dances, music and language and discover their history at the Padre Sebastián Englert Anthropological Museum.

The southernmost tip of the continent is home to the Yagan, who braved the cold and wind of the canals of Tierra del Fuego in their canoes 8,000 years ago.

Featured Destinations

San Pedro de Atacama		Arica
Isla de Pascua		Pucón, Villarrica and Temuco

Tips

01

Mapu Lahual Park Network	Tapati Celebration on Easter Island	Casa de la Mujer Mapuche
Mapu Lahual, which means "Land of Larches" in Mapudungún, is a network of seven community parks designed to conserve the native forests and promote eco-tourism, courtesy of the Huilliche who live on the coast south of Osorno. Members of these communities will be your guides to their culture and everyday lives. Recommended: Pichi Mallay Park.	This celebration features body painting and haka pei, which involves racing downhill on plantain tree trunks. It is held each February and provides a great chance to learn about traditional garments, songs and dances.	Located in Temuco, this "House of the Mapuche Woman" offers a comprehensive display of native crafts including dresses, skirts, shawls and ruana ponchos knit on looms and colored with natural dyes. Some ponchos are hand-knit using natural sheep's wool. The purpose of the initiative is to preserve the original techniques of the Mapuche, which have been passed down for generations.

02

Native New Year
The Aymara, Rapa Nui and Mapuche peoples follow their ancestral calendar. The New Year is celebrated on June 24, with the winter solstice. You can attend Mapuche celebrations of this day in the main square of Temuco and at Cerro Santa Lucía in Santiago.