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Chile Religion

Decent Essays

The Republic of Chile (Spanish: Republica de Chile) or more commonly known as Chile, has the largest economic systems, and most stable governments from Latin America in comparison to its neighbor countries. Although the country would have not achieved this stability without a problematic history full of struggle and hardship in which in time built the country’s economy and influenced their believes, customs and traditions that today make up the wonderful culture of Chile.
The name Chile derives from the native Mapuche Indian word “chilli” meaning “limit of the earth”. With its unusual shape and divided into fifteen different regions across over two thousand five hundred miles of land with a maximum width of two hundred and fifteen miles, …show more content…

Other items commonly fabricated are jewelry; such as earring, necklaces and rings for daily use along with ceremonial relics used to praise their gods. All throughout Chile there are nine different indigenous groups, the largest one is the Mapuche indigenous people. Although nine percent of the population in country is indigenous, Chile is the only country in Latin America that does not recognize the indigenous people in its constitution, therefore they face great challenges when it comes to the rights of their lands and territories. While most Chileans claim some Mapuche ancestry, throughout the centuries, many of their traditions have been lost due to Spanish and Chilean influence, however some elements of the Mapuches can be found in the southern regions of the country. One of the biggest elements that has been preserved in the country’s traditions is some of the Mapuche clothing, which plays a huge part in country’s traditional folklore dance called “Cueca”. The Cueca dance is a typical countryside dance which has been around for generations and is one of the country’s richest traditions. The dance is all about romantic conquest between the cowboy “huaso”, and the cowgirl “huasa” in which the use of a handkerchief is a fundamental element of the cueca dance, as both partners will raise it above their heads or behind their backs while stomping their feet and circling each other. Throughout the dance it is important for both partners maintain strong eye contact as they step and move resembling a mating

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