The Development of Hydroelectric Power over Ancestral Land in Chilean Patagonia

Summary

Chile is largely reliant on fossil fuels for energy and is working to transition to more renewable energy sources, specifically hydroelectric power. As part of this initiative, the state is proposing the construction of five hydropower dams in southern Chile. In this paper, we analyze the potential impact of this project on the ancestral land of the Mapuche. The Mapuche have been resisting the modern Chilean state’s approach to water and power and are fighting for land rights and the preservation of their culture and archaeological history. Using geographic information systems analyses we identify which areas of ancestral lands would be flooded, including threatened archaeological and historical sites. We frame the conflict between the modern state and the Mapuche with personal interviews and literature anlysis.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 21189