19th century photograph shows
the family of a Araucanian Cacique.

The Mapuche tribes were part of the greater Araucanian social and linguistic group. They spoke variations of the Aruacanian language, and inhabited diffrent regions of the land which contributed to their social diversity. The name Mapuche is derived from the Araucanian words for "Mapu", which means land, and "Che", which means people. In their own language the Mapuche were the people of the land.

NEXT PAGE »