﻿Vol.2] 
  ARAUCANIANS 
  IN 
  ARGENTINA 
  — 
  CANALS 
  FRAU 
  765 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  period, 
  a 
  small 
  group 
  of 
  Pampa 
  still 
  spoke 
  their 
  native 
  lan- 
  

   guage, 
  but 
  later 
  this 
  speech 
  disappeared 
  under 
  the 
  Araucanian 
  ava- 
  

   lanche 
  that 
  descended 
  from 
  the 
  Cordillera. 
  By 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   century, 
  the 
  Araucanians, 
  who 
  had 
  at 
  first 
  infiltrated 
  among 
  the 
  Pehu- 
  

   enche 
  living 
  in 
  the 
  mountains, 
  controlled 
  all 
  the 
  extensive 
  area 
  between 
  

   the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Buenos 
  Aires, 
  Cordoba, 
  San 
  Luis, 
  and 
  the 
  Rio 
  Negro, 
  

   between 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  and 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  immense 
  territories, 
  the 
  newly 
  arrived 
  Araucanians 
  were 
  

   split 
  into 
  various 
  distinct 
  aud 
  frequently 
  rival 
  groups. 
  They 
  never 
  

   formed 
  states, 
  for 
  their 
  social 
  organizatiou 
  was 
  not 
  stratified, 
  and 
  they 
  

   lacked 
  permanent 
  homes. 
  But 
  real 
  dynasties 
  of 
  chieftains 
  who 
  suc- 
  

   ceeded 
  each 
  other 
  were 
  developed, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  became 
  perma- 
  

   nently 
  established 
  in 
  definite 
  places. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  clear 
  that 
  these 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  rival 
  groups, 
  consisting 
  of 
  semi- 
  

   nomadic 
  Indians, 
  had 
  no 
  definitely 
  bounded 
  territories 
  that 
  separated 
  

   one 
  from 
  the 
  other. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  chieftainships 
  was 
  

   changeable. 
  Each 
  chief 
  with 
  his 
  people 
  was 
  subject 
  to 
  a 
  higher 
  chief. 
  

   If 
  dissatisfied 
  with 
  his 
  superior, 
  he 
  took 
  his 
  movable 
  tents 
  and 
  became 
  

   the 
  subject 
  of 
  another, 
  or 
  he 
  himself 
  became 
  an 
  independent 
  chief. 
  

  

  Three 
  of 
  these 
  chieftainships, 
  however, 
  were 
  permanent, 
  doubtless 
  

   because 
  they 
  were 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  distinct 
  physiography 
  of 
  the 
  land. 
  

   The 
  first 
  was 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Pehuenche, 
  who, 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   18th 
  century, 
  were 
  pressing 
  toward 
  the 
  northeast, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  of 
  the 
  19th 
  century 
  inhabited 
  not 
  only 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  proper 
  but 
  

   all 
  the 
  territories 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Andes 
  to 
  the 
  Chadileuvu 
  or 
  Salado 
  River, 
  

   between 
  the 
  Diamante 
  River 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  the 
  Limay 
  River 
  on 
  

   the 
  south. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  group, 
  located 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  first, 
  occupied 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  Pampa, 
  commonly 
  called 
  "region 
  del 
  monte" 
  because 
  of 
  its 
  

   xerophytic 
  vegetation. 
  The 
  Araucanians 
  called 
  it 
  Mamull-Mapu, 
  

   the 
  "woody 
  region. 
  " 
  Its 
  inhabitants 
  were 
  known 
  as 
  Ranquel 
  (in 
  the 
  

   Araucanian 
  language, 
  rankul 
  means 
  a 
  field 
  of 
  common 
  reed 
  grass). 
  

   Its 
  more 
  permanent 
  center, 
  where 
  the 
  general 
  chief 
  lived, 
  was 
  a 
  place 
  

   called 
  Leubuco, 
  long. 
  64° 
  40' 
  W. 
  and 
  lat. 
  35° 
  50' 
  S. 
  

  

  Finally, 
  the 
  third 
  group 
  inhabited 
  the 
  region 
  commonly 
  called 
  the 
  

   humid 
  Pampa 
  (Pampa 
  humeda) 
  or 
  herbaceous 
  Pampa, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  plains. 
  Because 
  of 
  their 
  habitat, 
  these 
  Indians 
  

   were 
  often 
  called 
  Pampista 
  or 
  just 
  Pampa, 
  but 
  they 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  

   confused 
  with 
  the 
  true 
  Pampa, 
  who 
  occupied 
  this 
  region 
  previous 
  to 
  

   the 
  Araucanians. 
  The 
  principal 
  headquarters 
  of 
  these 
  natives 
  was 
  

   the 
  Salinas 
  Grandes 
  zone 
  near 
  Macachin, 
  which 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  

   territory 
  of 
  La 
  Pampa. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  fundamental 
  factors 
  in 
  the 
  fusion 
  and 
  adaptation 
  of 
  elements 
  

   were 
  almost 
  the 
  same 
  throughout 
  the 
  area 
  inhabited 
  by 
  the 
  Argentine 
  

  

  