Colonial power and ethnicity in Chile: Territorialization and restructuring among the Mapuche in the colonial period

This paper deals with the Reche/Mapuche people's resistance to the Spanish conquest and colonization of South-Central Chile. After having successfully opposed the military conquest of their territory (1550-1650), these native groups adapted to the new context of the frontier (1650-1810) and became skilled traders and negotiators.

Mapuche; Territorialization; Frontier