Mapuche
noun
Ma·pu·che
mə-ˈpü-chē 
1
plural Mapuche or Mapuches
: a member of an Indigenous people of southern Chile and Argentina
2
: the Araucanian language of the Mapuche
Examples of Mapuche in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Betsy Andrews falls for the hearty cuisine of the Indigenous Mapuche people in Chile's La Araucanía and Los Lagos regions.
—
Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Dec. 2024
At this year’s Whitney Biennial, Even Better Than the Real Thing, in New York City, the Chilean Mapuche artist Sebastiana Calfuqueo filmed themself dragging a long trail of shiny blue fabric through the sacred Pehuén forest to a pool below a waterfall.
—Dean Kissick, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
Rooms also have fireplaces, handsome furnishings, and fluffy Mapuche blankets, on top of which poems by Pablo Neruda arrive each night along with chocolates.
—Mark Johanson, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2024
Similarly, Mapuche artist Seba Calfuqueo engages ancestral wisdom and themes of sustainability in her 3D animation, MAPU KUFÜLL (2020).
—Najha Zigbi-Johnson, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2024
For many Mapuche, this presents not solely a territorial dispute: The land is part of their cultural and spiritual identity.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
The horrors are bounteous, the narrative a bit disjointed; the Indigenous people, along with Segundo, who is half Mapuche, say little or are largely silent.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2024
Throughout the convention, the flag of the Mapuche people was often displayed, but not Chile’s national emblem.
—Andres Velasco, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2022
In Chile, the indigenous Mapuche people had resisted Spain’s conquistadores, sometimes defeating them in battle.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Betsy Andrews, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Dec. 2024
At this year’s Whitney Biennial, Even Better Than the Real Thing, in New York City, the Chilean Mapuche artist Sebastiana Calfuqueo filmed themself dragging a long trail of shiny blue fabric through the sacred Pehuén forest to a pool below a waterfall.
—Dean Kissick, Harper's Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
Rooms also have fireplaces, handsome furnishings, and fluffy Mapuche blankets, on top of which poems by Pablo Neruda arrive each night along with chocolates.
—Mark Johanson, Robb Report, 30 Nov. 2024
Similarly, Mapuche artist Seba Calfuqueo engages ancestral wisdom and themes of sustainability in her 3D animation, MAPU KUFÜLL (2020).
—Najha Zigbi-Johnson, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2024
For many Mapuche, this presents not solely a territorial dispute: The land is part of their cultural and spiritual identity.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
The horrors are bounteous, the narrative a bit disjointed; the Indigenous people, along with Segundo, who is half Mapuche, say little or are largely silent.
—Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2024
Throughout the convention, the flag of the Mapuche people was often displayed, but not Chile’s national emblem.
—Andres Velasco, Foreign Affairs, 28 Sep. 2022
In Chile, the indigenous Mapuche people had resisted Spain’s conquistadores, sometimes defeating them in battle.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022
Cite this Entry
“Mapuche.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mapuche. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share