The Mapuche

The Mapuche people occupied most of Patagonia until they were subdued by Argentina and Chile in the 1860s and 70s in a savage ethnic cleansing, which left thousands of Mapuche skulls and skeletons in museums. Their land was taken from them and given or sold to European settlers. A huge area belongs, for example to Benetton (of United Colours). Their agriculture was destroyed to make room for ranching, and their forests have been intensively logged and partly destroyed. Remember this when you buy Argentinian beef! Their resistance continues, and small groups have attempted to farm limited areas. The Argentinian and Chilean governments, continue to suppress them, claiming that they are 'terrorists'. More innocent victims of the West's 'War on Terror'! Information from an excellent programme by Al-Jazeera.