“Viviendo entre cristianos como gentiles y entre españoles como bárbaros”. Indigenous Drunkenness, Christian Doctrine and Forced Migration in Central Chile, 1575-1655

Abstract

In the last quarter of the 16th century, there was, as perceived by the Town Council of Santiago and later by other authorities and officials, a resurgence of the indigenous drunkenness. In the beginning, these binges were understood as opportunities for revelry and uncontrolled drinking and sexual acts, that were without important political or ritual significance. Nevertheless, with the arrival of forced immigrants from the Araucanía Region and Chiloé, they began to be represented as social spaces where the worship of ancient tutelary spirits and the apostasy were combined with the rebel conspiracy, reviving the deepest fears among the Spanish that the Arauco would spread underground to the interior the Kingdom of Chile, nurtured by the endless repetition of drunkenness and “chueca” games and by the rumors that commonly spread through the streets of the Chilean capital.