The first inhabitants of Patagonia were the canoeists known as “chonos,” who began to become extinct in 1870. However, those who left a more permanent mark were the Tehuelches, a nomadic people who came to Earth of Fire. Today we can see cave paintings left by them, as well as drawings and paintings that are sold as postcards of the region. It is said that these hunters had large feet and that is where the name Patagonia comes from.
It was the Tehuelches who had the first contacts with the Spanish conquerors, who introduced the horse to the region. This allowed them to cover more territory in less time, to hunt and commercialize skins and animals.
The first person who lived among them was George ChMusters, in 1869, who accompanied several tribes until arriving at the Argentine side of Patagonia, in Bariloche.
But the Tehuelches were not the only original inhabitants of this area. In the South of Patagonia, and closer to Punta Arenas and Earth of fire, the Onas or Selknam, Yamanes or Yaganes and Alacalufes or Kawaskar coexisted. These nomadic peoples settled in different places, taking advantage of the region’s natural resources to survive. Many lived only from what the Ocean gave them, using the necessary animals for food and the rest to build houses, boats, and clothes.
All these peoples are now extinct, since the last pure descendant of the original peoples died in 1997. At present, only mestizo inhabitants remain and those who were brought up under their traditions.
Once the Chilean government was installed as such in Santiago, from 1810, shipments of exploration and conquest companies to the southern territory began. Thus Chilo, Chaiton, Puerto Aysén, Cochrane, Punta Arenas and Puerto Williams began to populate, as well as all the small towns in between. Further south, commissions were sent to Fuerte Bulnes, from where it was watched over the national sovereignty, and which ended up being the destination of prisoners and condemned by the courts in Santiago.
Later, in the 20th century, it was the livestock and industrial companies that began to arrive in Patagonia, looking for natural resources and money. Although not all the companies that arrived to the South ended up being installed there, they caused the migration of people to the sector, who were looking for work and a place where they could form a family.
The companies, in addition, had to deal with the border problems between Chile and Argentina, which ended in a series of treaties where limits were defined that prevented them from free passage to the Argentine Patagonia, where their animals were fed. The Chilean government was aware of the need to take advantage of the land, so it ended up auctioning territories at low prices, to colonize the area.
Tierra del Fuego, in as much, received hundreds of people who arrived at their lands in search of gold, at the end of 1890. The amount of people forced to install necessary institutions, like police and hospitals, among others.
Today, the region continues to exploit natural resources, but with more ecological awareness. At the same time, both the Chilean government and the regional statutes give greater importance to tourism, understanding that the region has a unique beauty in the world, so we must take care of it.
It is understood, finally, that the region has an imminent potential in terms of tourism and energy, since in Tierra del Fuego plants have been installed for the extraction of oil and coal, producing 44% of hydrocarbons throughout the region. región.