A journey into Chile’s ancestral heartland, the perfect place to go a little slower
The country s Lake District offers labyrinthine waterways, roads less travelled, and a chance to get to know the Mapuche people
Volcán Villarrica
Credit: Getty
“When a child is born, we bury the placenta under a tree and that helps to decide the child’s fate,” said Regina, as we sauntered around Feria Walüng, the Mapuche market and farm. “It also means we don’t cut down any trees.”
As autumn sunlight crept through spindly silver birches, the market’s makeshift food stalls and the sturdy rucas (traditional houses) nearby were speckled with white. Volcán Villarrica towered ominously overhead, chicks fluttered underfoot, and a nonchalant sow let out the odd grunt as a busy litter clambered over her head.