Abstract

AYENAO LAGOS, Margarita. Wallmapu in the City: Urban Living Experiences in a Mapuche Community in Valdivia, Chile. Antipod. Rev. Antropol. Arqueol. [online]. 2025, n.60, pp.31-52.  Epub Aug 04, 2025. ISSN 1900-5407.  https://doi.org/10.7440/antipoda60.2025.02.

This article examines the history of the process of territorial recovery and the experiences related to the construction of Mapuche ways of inhabiting among members of an urban Mapuche community located in the Isla Teja sector, Valdivia commune, capital of the Los Ríos Region, Chile. To examine this line of inquiry, the discussion is framed around two central concepts: territory and inhabiting. Using a qualitative research approach and ethnographic methods, the study explores the history of the Koliñir Lof Wapi community in depth. Data collection techniques included in-depth semi-structured interviews with community leaders, residents, and an academic expert on the subject. Additionally, simple observation was carried out during visits to the community to gain a closer understanding of its sociocultural context. Based on this experience, the article argues that researching Mapuche life in urban settings helps expand the narrative of Indigenous inhabiting, moving beyond static and dichotomous views that assume inevitable assimilation and cultural loss in urban contexts. It also challenges essentialist perspectives by incorporating reflections on buen vivir (good living) in urban environments. Ultimately, understanding the community’s progress and negotiations offers insight into the construction of Mapuche territoriality in a city where their presence remains largely invisible in both its history and collective imaginaries. Therefore, bringing this narrative to light contributes to a broader reflection on the expansion of the city’s identity boundaries.

Keywords : Inhabiting; Isla Teja-Koliñir Lof Wapi; Mapuche; territory; Valdivia..

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