CHILE CULTURE

CHILE HAS MORE THAN 10 INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES!

Chile is home to 11 officially recognized Indigenous peoples, each with their own languages, traditions, and worldviews. From the high Andes to Patagonia and the Pacific Islands, these communities preserve cultural legacies that span millennia.

The most known include: Mapuche, Aymara, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Atacameño (Likan Antai), Quechua, Colla, Kawésqar, and Yagán (Yámana).

LANGUAGES SPOKEN

While Spanish is the national language, Chile is also home to several Indigenous languages—some still vibrant, others endangered.

Among them are: Mapudungun (Mapuche), Aymara, Rapa Nui, Quechua, Kawésqar, and Yagán.

ARTISAN CRAFTS

Chile’s Indigenous craftsmanship reflects its landscapes and cultural roots.

• Mapuche silverwork (Rütrafe) — bold jewelry such as chest ornaments, headpieces, and earrings; symbols of identity, protection, and status.
• Textiles — Mapuche weavers create ponchos, fajas (belts), and blankets using ancestral looms and patterns tied to cosmology. In the north, Aymara artisans spin alpaca and llama wool into finely woven garments.
• Rapa Nui wood carvings — from Easter Island, intricate carvings of figures like moai kavakava and ceremonial paddles preserve Polynesian traditions.