Los senderos pehuenches en Alto Biobío (Chile): articulación espacial, movilidad y territorialidad

Abstract

This article explores the role of trails in linking the Pehuenche territory in Alto Biobio, located in the Andes of south-central Chile. Through the comparative study of the Pehuenche community's network of trails in Caunicu and El Barco, located in the Queuco and Biobio river valleys, respectively, it recognizes the existence of an indigenous geography, rooted in the "lived space or from the experience" around the routes of communication. The study is framed in the theoretical perspective of cultural geography and uses qualitative methodology with an ethnographic approach. We conclude that the pehuenche trails: a) contribute to the articulation of territory, to the extent that they links important places in each community; b) ensure the symbolic appropriation of the space; and c) allow the collective memory of the families to be updated, through daily mobility practices.