Wednesday, October 12th 2011 - 05:54 UTC

Mapuche Indians mourn the day Columbus set foot in the Americas

More than then thousand people marched in the Chilean capital Santiago in support of the indigenous Mapuche people. The protest marked the 519th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, the start of the Spanish conquest.

Indigenous minorities marched in Santiago to protest 12 October 1492

The Mapuche are Chile's largest indigenous minority. In recent years they have been involved in land disputes with farmers and timber companies in their homeland in Araucania in southern Chile.

The anniversary of Columbus's first landfall on 12 October 1492 is a public holiday in Chile and across the Americas.

For indigenous groups such as the Mapuche it is a day of mourning.

“It signifies the arrival of the Spanish usurpers and all they brought with them, colonialism and imperialism,” Mapuche leader Manuel Diaz told the Spanish news agency Efe.

Dressed in traditional costumes and carrying flags, the Mapuche activists marched peacefully through the centre of Santiago. They demanded the return of ancestral territories in southern Chile currently owned by farmers and forestry companies.

They also called for the release of Mapuche “political prisoners” jailed for their role in land occupations.

Last year Chilean President Sebastian Pinera promised new funds for development in Araucania in response to the Mapuche protests.

At the end of the demonstration a small group of masked youths clashed with riot police, who responded with tear gas and water cannon.

But city authorities said the violence was not directly linked to the indigenous march.

 

Published in: Environment, Politics, Real Estate, Tourism, Latin America, Mercosur.

3 comments Feed

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1 xbarilox (#) Oct 12th, 2011 - 04:58 pm Report abuse
Thank you Julio Argentino Roca for giving us La Patagonia. Los Mapuches, como siempre victimizándose. Those bloody Mapuche peoples are a bloody invention. Thank you Roca for fighting against those bloody chilean caciques in the war against Chile. No aboriginal people anymore, stop lying. Viva San Ceferino tehuelche, no el Ceferino mapuche una gran mentira. Death to the kirchnerists!!!
2 Conqueror (#) Oct 12th, 2011 - 07:00 pm Report abuse
And so they should! Time for the Spanish and Italian thieves to own up to their crimes. In fact, they should probably return to their points of origin. That should wreck Spain and Italy AND destroy the corrupt and criminal EU at the same time. It's actually a toss-up who is more corrupt and criminal. The EU or the Argentine government. Wonder how much money CFK has leeched from the Argentine people by now? According to public records in 2009, declared assets of CFK and her deceased husband had increased by 572% since 2003. So it should be around 762% by now. Is she still checking out palaces abroad to retire to when she thinks she's screwed enough? Only trouble is....no-one knows how much she thinks is “enough”. Mind you, she's got a way to go before she can match Gaddafi's £60-70 billion.
3 AkkBar (#) Oct 12th, 2011 - 08:51 pm Report abuse
Protestas lamentando la historia e identidad latinoamericana.

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