﻿EXPANSION 
  OF 
  THE 
  ARAUCANIANS 
  IN 
  ARGENTINA 
  

  

  By 
  Salvador 
  Canals 
  Frau 
  

  

  The 
  campaign 
  of 
  General 
  Roca 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1879 
  against 
  tribes 
  of 
  

   the 
  south 
  put 
  an 
  end 
  to 
  the 
  Indian 
  domination 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  realm 
  of 
  

   the 
  Pampa. 
  Several 
  tribes 
  which 
  up 
  to 
  that 
  time 
  had 
  ruled 
  the 
  

   greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Pampa 
  humeda, 
  or 
  the 
  eastern 
  section, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Regidn 
  del 
  Monte, 
  or 
  the 
  western 
  section, 
  were 
  dispersed 
  or 
  driven 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  Rio 
  Negro, 
  the 
  northern 
  boundary 
  of 
  Patagonia. 
  The 
  

   centra] 
  plain 
  of 
  Argentina 
  subsequently 
  was 
  definitely 
  and 
  completely 
  

   opened 
  to 
  civilization. 
  Thus 
  ended 
  uncertainty 
  and 
  open 
  warfare 
  

   that 
  had 
  begun 
  the 
  very 
  moment 
  that 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  established 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  de 
  la 
  Plata. 
  The 
  original 
  Buenos 
  

   Aires 
  was 
  founded 
  in 
  1536 
  by 
  the 
  first 
  Governor 
  of 
  the 
  Rio 
  de 
  la 
  Plata, 
  

   Don 
  Pedro 
  de 
  Mendoza, 
  but 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  abandoned 
  later. 
  In 
  1580, 
  

   General 
  Juan 
  de 
  Garay 
  founded 
  the 
  present 
  city. 
  In 
  both 
  instances 
  

   there 
  were 
  open 
  combats 
  with 
  the 
  Indians 
  who 
  ruled 
  the 
  plains. 
  

  

  The 
  Indians 
  who 
  occupied 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  Pampa 
  in 
  the 
  16th 
  

   century, 
  and 
  who 
  had 
  contacts 
  first 
  with 
  Don 
  Pedro 
  de 
  Mendoza 
  and 
  

   later 
  with 
  Don 
  Juan 
  de 
  Garay, 
  were 
  ethnically 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  

   whom 
  General 
  Roca 
  drove 
  out 
  during 
  the 
  second 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  19th 
  

   century. 
  Culturally, 
  they 
  might 
  have 
  seemed 
  alike, 
  but 
  racially 
  and 
  

   linguistically 
  they 
  were 
  distinct. 
  From 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  during 
  the 
  three 
  

   centuries 
  between 
  1580 
  and 
  1879, 
  the 
  Indian 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  vast 
  

   geographical 
  area 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Pampa 
  underwent 
  a 
  notable 
  change. 
  

   The 
  primitive 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  plains 
  in 
  1580 
  was 
  Pampean 
  in 
  racial 
  

   type 
  and 
  was, 
  therefore, 
  racially 
  and 
  culturally 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  

   peoples 
  of 
  Patagonia. 
  It 
  was 
  particularly 
  like 
  its 
  southern 
  neighbors 
  

   the 
  Puelche 
  (Genaken) 
  and 
  the 
  Patagonians, 
  and 
  its 
  northern 
  neighbors, 
  

   the 
  Guaycurii. 
  The 
  population 
  which 
  General 
  Roca 
  drove 
  out 
  in 
  1879, 
  

   however, 
  resembled 
  in 
  outward 
  appearance 
  the 
  Araucanians 
  of 
  Chile, 
  

   whose 
  language 
  they 
  also 
  spoke 
  (map 
  1, 
  No. 
  18). 
  The 
  Araucanians 
  

   are 
  usually 
  classified 
  racially 
  and 
  culturally 
  with 
  the 
  peoples 
  of 
  the 
  

   Andes, 
  who 
  have 
  the 
  highest 
  culture 
  in 
  South 
  America. 
  

  

  One 
  might 
  ask 
  how 
  this 
  change 
  in 
  population 
  came 
  about 
  and 
  what 
  

   were 
  the 
  causes. 
  Fortunately, 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  historical 
  facts 
  

   which 
  enable 
  us 
  to 
  follow, 
  almost 
  step 
  by 
  step, 
  the 
  interesting 
  process 
  

   by 
  which 
  a 
  people 
  move 
  almost 
  625 
  miles 
  (1,000 
  km.) 
  from 
  their 
  origi- 
  

  

  761 
  

  

  