Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Peoples of Argentina
Argentina is the most Europeanized of all Latin American
nations and the majority of its 40 million people are of
mainly Spanish or Italian descent. There are also small but
significant British, German, French, Armenian, and Levantine
communities, and Argentina has opened its doors to Jewish
refugees from Russia and Poland. Official statistics suggest
that only 404,000 Argentinians are indigenous, the majority
of whom are the Mapuche, although research by the
University of Buenos Aires suggests that up to half the
population is mestizo.
A shop in Jujuy selling an array of
indigenous handicrafts
Indigenous peoples
Few native tribes remain today, compared to the
dozens of sizable indigenous groups at the time of
the Spanish conquest. While most still live in rural
communities, the growing impoverishment of
their lands has forced many to migrate to cities.
The Mapuche
,
estimated to number
250,000, form the
country's largest indige-
nous community. Most
of them live in the
province of Neuquén.
Mapuche traditional
clothing
consists of
handwoven ponchos
and leather belts.
The Guaraní
speak a language of
the same name and are mostly
concentrated in Misiones province
in the north of Argentina. There are
approximately 10,000 Guaranís in
the country.
The Colla
community is the
main indigenous group in
Jujuy province, with an
estimated population of
35,000. Their mother tongue
is Quechua and they are
famous for their colorful
handmade clothes.
The Tehuelche
were once an
important Patagonian tribe. They
suffered at the hands of both the
Mapuche and the Spanish
conquerors. Now, less than
200 people are classified as
Tehuelche, though many
thousands of mestizos have
Tehuelche blood.
The Wichí
people number about
25,000, with communities in the
provinces of Chaco, Salta, and
Formosa. Though Wichí land
rights are recognized by law,
their territory is under constant
threat from developers.
