Day 1

Church and Playground

We spent Sunday in the bus to cover the 700km that separate Santiago from Temuco. We arrived in Temuco late at night, and finally got to meet our host. We shared tea with her family and talked until jetlag got the better of us.

This morning Jacqueline left us at the bus stop with clear directions. We got on 'el micro', a small bus that runs throughout the city, to Padre de las Casas, a residential offspring of Temuco. Walking around, we stumbled upon this place.

The real highlight came after. We found ourselves in front of a cultural centre, which was hosting a special event, celebrating We Tripantu, the Mapuche New Year fest taking place this week. We walked in on a Mapuche band, followed by a poetry reader and a story-teller that all sang of the 'lucha de resistencia millenaria', a promise that Mapuche culture would continue to be preserved and passed on.

After the performance, we spoke with the organiser of the event, who offered us some traditional Mapuche food, based on corn and wheat. She invited us to come back tomorrow, for the the last day of the performance, which would be held in Temuco this time.