Detalle_Expedición_de_Hendrick_Brouwer_en_Valdivia_1643

The chilihueque or hueque was a

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

camelid Camelids are members of the biological family Camelidae, the only currently living family in the suborder Tylopoda. The seven extant members of this group are: dromedary camels, Bactrian camels, wild Bactrian camels, llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, ...

variety or species that existed in

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and south-central Chile in

Pre-Hispanic In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

and

colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...

. There are two main hypotheses on their status among South American camelids: the first one suggests that they are locally domesticated

guanacos The guanaco (; ''Lama guanicoe'') is a camelid native to South America, closely related to the llama. Guanacos are one of two wild South American camelids, the other being the vicuña, which lives at higher elevations. Etymology The guanaco ...

and the second that they are a variety of

llama The llama (; ) (''Lama glama'') is a domesticated South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since the Pre-Columbian era. Llamas are social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is soft ...

s brought from the north into south-central Chile.Bonacic, Cristián (1991)
Características biológicas y productivas de los camélidos sudamericanos
. ''Avances en ciencias veterinarias''. Vol. 6, No. 2. The

alpaca The alpaca (''Lama pacos'') is a species of South American camelid mammal. It is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are often noticeably smaller than llamas. The two animals are closely related and can success ...

has also been suggested as a possible identity. In a 2016

mitochondrial DNA Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA or mDNA) is the DNA located in mitochondria, cellular organelles within eukaryotic cells that convert chemical energy from food into a form that cells can use, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial D ...

study it is concluded that the chilihueque from Mocha Island could derive from the wild guanaco populations of southern Chile. According to

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest and scientist

Juan Ignacio Molina Fr. Juan Ignacio Molina (; (June 24, 1740 – September 12, 1829) was a Chilean Jesuit priest, naturalist, historian, translator, geographer, botanist, ornithologist, and linguist. He is usually referred to as Abate Molina (a form of Abbot Moli ...

, the Dutch captain

Joris van Spilbergen Joris van Spilbergen (1568 in Antwerp – January 31, 1620 in Bergen op Zoom) was a Dutch naval officer. Joris van Spilbergen was born in Antwerp in 1568. His first major expedition was in 1596, when he sailed to Africa. He then left for As ...

observed the use of chilihueques by native

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...

s of Mocha Island as plough animals in 1614.''The Geographical, Natural and Civil History of Chili''
Pages 15 and 16, Volume II
/ref> Chilihueque populations declined towards extinction in the 16th and 17th century, being replaced by European livestock. The causes of its extinction are not clear but it is known that the introduction of sheep caused some competition among both domestic species. Anecdotal evidence of the mid-17th century show that both species coexisted but suggests that there were many more sheep than chilihueqes. The decline of chilihueques reached a point in the late 18th century when, according to

Tomás Guevara Tomás Guevara Silva (1865–1935) was a Chilean historian, teacher, War of the Pacific veteran and a prominent scholar of the Mapuche people. He was born in Curicó Curicó (), meaning "Black Waters" in Mapudungun (originally meaning "Land ...

, only the Mapuche from Mariquina and Huequén next to

Angol Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Nahuelbuta Range and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the Bío- ...

raised the animal. Chilihueques were used by the Mapuche in

ritual slaughter Ritual slaughter is the practice of slaughtering livestock for meat in the context of a ritual. Ritual slaughter involves a prescribed practice of slaughtering an animal for food production purposes. Ritual slaughter as a mandatory practice of sla ...

as attested by various 16th-century Spanish records. White chilihueques were preferred and often reserved for dignitaries. Chilihueques were also the main

bride price Bride price, bride-dowry ( Mahr in Islam), bride-wealth, or bride token, is money, property, or other form of wealth paid by a groom or his family to the woman or the family of the woman he will be married to or is just about to marry. Bride dow ...

used among Mapuches.

References

{{Camelids Camelids Animal hair products Livestock Mammals of the Andes Mammals of Chile Animal breeds originating in Chile Extinct mammals of South America Mammal extinctions since 1500 Mapuche