Spanish Conversation · Level 13
90 words
Spanish word
mapuche
Pronunciation
IPA/maˈputʃe/
Meaning
- noun (m./f.)Mapuche
Example
Una mapuche me explicó su tradición familiar.
A Mapuche woman explained her family's tradition to me.
More examples
En la feria saludé a varios mapuches que vendían artesanías.
At the fair I greeted several Mapuche who were selling crafts.
Core concept
A member of the Mapudungun-speaking Indigenous communities of southern South America.
Common phrases
un mapuche
a Mapuche
los mapuches
the Mapuche
varios mapuches
several Mapuche
Similar words
indígena: Person native to land inhabited by ancestors before colonization, belonging to an indigenous group.
pueblo: People united by a shared history, language, traditions, and social identity.
Definition in Spanish
Persona perteneciente al pueblo mapuche, cultura indígena que conserva su propia lengua y tradiciones.
Word origin
The word derives from the Mapudungun compound mapu 'land' + che 'people', literally 'people of the land', and is used in Spanish as the group's ethnonym.
Usage tips
- The term denotes a cultural and linguistic identity across parts of Chile and Argentina rather than a single nationality, so naming the country clarifies a person's national background.
Other meanings
- Mapuche peoplenoun