Indigenous Peoples of Chile: History and Geography
Northern and Andean Civilizations
Aymara
Geographic Location: Northern Chile, the Andean foothills, and the Altiplano sector of Peru, Bolivia, and Chile, extending into central valleys and oases.
Economy and Lifestyle: They were sedentary tribes. Their economic activities included raising livestock (llamas and alpacas) and agriculture, producing crops such as ají (chili pepper), coca, cotton, corn, potatoes, and quinoa.
Changos
Geographic Location: Coastal region between the Loa River and the Aconcagua River (Choapa).
Economy and Lifestyle: They were nomadic seafarers who moved on rafts. They traded with the agricultural peoples of the inland valleys and hunted sea lions, whales, and dolphins (toninas).
Atacameños
Language: Kunza.
Geographic Location: Oases near the Atacama Desert and along the course of the Loa River (including valleys, oases, and streams).
Economy and Lifestyle: They were sedentary and lived in stone houses. They developed advanced agriculture supported by artificial irrigation systems and engaged in regional commerce.
Diaguitas
Language: Kakán.
Geographic Location: Transverse valleys between Copiapó and Aconcagua.
Economy and Lifestyle: They were expert potters and practiced livestock farming, agriculture, fishing, and gathering. Their society was organized into lordships governed by local chieftains (señores).
Central and Southern Native Peoples
Picunches
Geographic Location: Between the Aconcagua and Itata rivers.
Economy and Lifestyle: Sedentary agricultural tribes that practiced slash-and-burn land clearing (roza) farming methods.
Mapuche
Language: Mapudungun.
Geographic Location: Territory between the Aconcagua River and Chiloé Island.
Economy and Lifestyle: They practiced hunting, fishing, and agricultural crop harvesting.
Social and Religious Organization: Organized into kinship units called lof, each directed by a chief known as a lonko. Their religion was animist.
Chiquillanes
Geographic Location: Both slopes of the Andes Mountain Range (between 34° and 35° South latitude).
Economy and Lifestyle: Nomadic hunter-gatherer bands who lived in leather tents.
Pehuenches
Geographic Location: From Chillán to the Antuco cordillera in the pre-Andean zone.
Economy and Lifestyle: Nomadic groups organized into family clans who lived by hunting and gathering in the Andean foothills, relying primarily on pehuén (pine nuts).
Puelches
Geographic Location: Valdivia and Osorno.
Economy and Lifestyle: Nomadic bands of food gatherers and hunters of guanacos, organized into family units.
Huilliches
Geographic Location: The Lakes Region and the Gulf of Reloncaví.
Economy and Lifestyle: Engaged in agriculture, fishing, and livestock keeping. They were organized into lof or tribal communities.
Poyas
Geographic Location: Eastern Andean slopes and lake margins towards the southern expanse.
Economy and Lifestyle: A simple nomadic society based on hunting and gathering, organized into small bands and nuclear families.
Patagonian and Fuegian Coastal Peoples
Tehuelches (Aónikenk)
Geographic Location: Mountain and Patagonian steppe zones from the Gulf of Reloncaví to the Strait of Magellan.
Economy and Lifestyle: Nomadic terrestrial hunters and gatherers organized into groups based on kinship bonds.
Ona (Selk'nam)
Geographic Location: Tierra del Fuego.
Economy and Lifestyle: Nomadic terrestrial hunters and gatherers organized into autonomous clans consisting of 40 to 120 members.
Chonos
Geographic Location: The Chiloé Archipelago, Chonos Archipelago, Guaitecas Islands, and the Taitao Peninsula.
Economy and Lifestyle: Nomadic maritime hunters, fishers, and coastal gatherers who traveled in canoes and were organized into family clans.
Alacalufes (Kawésqar)
Geographic Location: Southern Patagonian channels and fiords extending toward the Strait of Magellan.
Economy and Lifestyle: Nomadic sea-gatherers and hunters who lived aboard canoes and formed mobile maritime bands.