Friday, February 24, 2023

Chile and Chlenos, or Poets, Prussians, and Poppies

                             On rereading the notes for this posts, it seems that I am on a fishing expedition for comments related to the history of Chile and the Chilian people. This may be your big chance to teach me about Chile. I am not completely ignorant of Chile. For example, I know that it is probably the longest, narrowest country on our Earth. However I am courie0us about Chile and about what you know about that South American country and people and I have a lot to earn.

                        I know that they knew about the CIA before I did.

                        I find that there is evidence that the land which is now Chile was populated by about 40,000 BP; that's 40,000 years ago! That evidence, I believe, was discovered at the Mount Verde site. However, there is stronger evidence, at that same site, of human habitation dating to between 15,000 BP and 13,000 BP. There is evidence elsewhere in the country of agicultural cultivation. That early cultivation includes mountain side terracing and irrigation canals.

                        An example of an early culture are the Chinchoro people. Thheir culturs dates to about 7,000 BC. They were a sedentary fishing people of northern Chile on the Pacific coast of the great Atacama desert. They appear to have fished with both hook and net. They have some fame for their sophisticated mummification practices which may predate that practice in early Egypt.

                        I once held the opinion that Chileans may have been a bit too proud of their armed forces, including their navy. Now I am not so sure. I have learned a bit more and still have a lot to learn. A source of that pride be that in the War of the Pacifice they fought and defeated forcese of Argentina and of Peru both at about the same time. I felt that the army I saw there was a bit too much the style of Prussian regulars and too little like a democratic citizens' army.

                       At one time the Chileans seem to have seemed to have too much respect for the big and too little for the small. A big business was better than an small one and deserved more respect, a bigger industry deresed more respect than a smaller, latifundio was better than the family farm, and like that. Perhaps the small was not considered dispicable but nor was it an object of much pride.

                       Still, one might bet that there were enough rotos, huascos, Arucanos, and poets to to overcome  the tendency to believe the the biggest was The best.

                       Sometimes the best post is the one which raises the most questions. I already have alot of questions. For example, Why has Chile had more California golden poppies than California?   

                        I have lost the spellcheck app for this blog, or maby it was stolen. However, I still have a "comments" app here. You can find it here just below this little essay. You may find that it reads "no comments." click on it anyway. There, there is a place for your questions, answers, corrections of my errors, and yes, comments.

                        See if you can tell us the answer one or more of the following questions:

~ What was the War of the Pacific about,?

~ What did O'Higgins have to do with that war?

~ Who are rotos or what was a Chileno roto?

~ Who and what are huascos?

~ What are the names of more than one Chilean poet, poetresses count?

~ Can Gabi M. be a hint to the name of one of them?

~ What can you say about the Arucanos.

~ Who were the native people who lived south of the Arucano.

~ Where in Chile is the Mount Verde site

                        Try commenting, you may love it. You can comment here with out providing your email address.

                        Thank you for reading

                        There are a variety of posts, videos, and essays right here on this blog. You have the power to explore them.



                                                                                    rcs




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