In Chile, a secret conflict known as the Arauco War between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people has been ongoing for almost 500 years. The war started in the 1500s when the Spaniards sought to take control of Araucanía, which at the time had been the homeland of many indigenous groups, including the Mapuche. At the end of the first 280-year battle, the Chilean military succeeded in taking control of Araucanía. Since then, the Chilean and Mapuche people have continuously clashed over land, which has led to many brutal and violent encounters between the two groups.
I traveled with Nicolás Ríos Ramírez, a Chilean journalist, to the heart of the conflict for Seeker Network, to learn how the centuries-long war has affected the Mapuche people and the nation as a whole.
