|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
A Place Apart: Chiloe Island's Unspoiled Heritage
| Article
# : |
17658 |
|
|
Section : |
CULTURE
|
| Issue
Date : |
11 / 1998 |
332 Words |
| Author
: |
Jeanne Conte
Jeanne Conte is a freelance writer based in Ohio. |
Chiloé 130,000 human inhabitants go about their lives much as in times past. They have felt a sense of separation and independence from the mainland for hundreds of years and hold fast to their traditional lifestyle. Nominally Catholic, Chilotés maintain elaborate legends and mythology peopled by witches and wizards. Indeed, the Chiloté definition of "Christian" includes anyone who is not a witch or wizard. Catholic priests on the island respect the people's rights to these beliefs.
Most Chilotés raise their own grains and livestock, spin wool, and knit clothes. Over a hundred varieties of potatoes--many indigenous--are cultivated on the island, and blackberries grow wild and in abundance. The ocean is bountiful, and Chiloté fishermen easily fill their tiny, colorful boats. But a growing population has led to the need for some modernization. To provide employment for young Chilotés, the Chilean government sponsors industries such as salmon farming.
The first Spanish colonists came to Chiloé in the mid-sixteenth century. The settlers were able to live in peace with the island's native Chono people. Jesuits from Peru arrived in 1608. They built a series of wooden churches, many of which still stand despite the earthquakes that regularly devastate the island. In 1646 a particularly violent quake struck. The settlers asked for permission to leave, but the viceroy of Peru refused. From that time on, Chilotés have known that their home was a place apart.
Chiloé was also the setting, in 1826, for the final battle in South America for independence from Spanish control. When Chile's President Bulnes needed hardy seafarers to take and hold the Straits of
... (1998 of 2153 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
