FAMILIAS, RUCAS, TIERRAS Y DINERO BANCARIO ENTRE LOS PRODUCTORES MAPUCHE DE CAUTIN, 1870-1930.

Abstract

This article examines the pace of change in the economic patterns of Mapuche society articulated according to social norms based on family organization towards capitalist mechanisms during the early phase of the annexation of Araucanía to the State of Chile at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. This analysis focuses on the figure of the rucas, the traditional dwelling of the members of a household that carried out agricultural activities with the help of other families for domestic self-sufficiency; and on the festive work activities that facilitated courtship between young people and the formation of married couples. An endogenous configuration that will be combined with the adoption of Western innovations in wooden houses and warehouses, wire fences, and the use of fiduciary money provided by the Banks to promote a historical development in interaction with the modern industrial market economy.