Pavithra S. answered • 01/24/23
PhD Candidate for Humanities and Social Science tutoring
According to The World Factbook at CIA.gov as of the most recently conducted census, the majority of Chileans are white and non-Indigenous/Mestizo (88%). These are individuals who can trace the majority of their ancestry to Europe. The indigenous populations are as follows: "Mapuche 9.1%, Aymara 0.7%, other Indigenous groups 1% (includes Rapa Nui, Likan Antai, Quechua, Colla, Diaguita, Kawesqar, Yagan or Yamana), unspecified 0.3%". The CIA World Factbook has interesting information about each country in South America. Be sure to compare countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
You might be wondering why these countries have such different percentages of indigenous peoples? South American nations vary greatly in their demographics. This is tied directly to their histories of colonization. In many cases, indigenous groups that encountered Europeans died due to exposure to diseases, like smallpox, or due to violent conflict. The Mapuche, for example, faced violent conquest during the colonization of Chile. Other indigenous peoples intermarried with Europeans (many Spanish and Portuguese men were sent to the continent alone) or enslaved Africans, resulting in mixed-race peoples. Other indigenous groups ended up in more isolated parts of the land, like the Amazon or the Andes mountains. The most highly profitable land (whether due to resources, arable land, or waterways) was colonized first, but many times indigenous peoples were hired to work the land for Europeans.
What's important to remember is that indigenous people and enslaved Africans have faced significant discrimination and hardship in the history of post-Columbian South America, including the loss of their ancestral land and cultural erasure such as the outlawing of native languages.
Some more info on the subject can be found in the work of Charles C. Mann.
