
Into the Cave of Chile’s Witches (2013) - hendiatris
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/into-the-cave-of-chiles-witches-20138093/?no-ist
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puranjay
One of the great things about reading articles like this is to open up Google
Earth in another tab and follow the geography. I'm always amazed by the land
of South America. From the southernmost tips to the Amazonian basin, the
entire continent feels so desolate, so stark, so lonely. The geography of
Chile's land below the Maule river is stunning to follow - at least on Google
Earth.

~~~
kmundnic
The continental side of Chile, from Chiloé to the south, feels like land of no
one. Aysén region has a population density of about 1 person per squared
kilometer. The Carretera Austral (Highway 7) has thousand of kilometers of
dirt roads, that connect one town to the next. There's a saying in Patagonia:
"The one who rushes in Patagonia, wastes his time".

Aysén has some of the most naturally breathtaking views I've seen in my life.
Traveling around General Carrera Lake (the biggest in Chile) feels almost
surreal. On the far west you have thick forests, followed by the Northern Ice
Fields, close to where the Andes Mountains meet the Pacific Ocean. To the
west, on the border with Argentina, you have a desert, with temperatures up to
about 38ºC in summer. All of this with the view of the emerald-colored waters
of the lake.

I highly recommend backpacking from Lake Llanquihue (northern border of
Patagonia in the Chilean side) towards the south. If you do, take your time,
and travel during summer (December through March). Hitchhiking in Aysén is
quite safe, and can be the most efficient way of traveling at times. Talk to
the locals, and discover the true natural wonders that require time and
patience to be discovered (you might even find someone willing to barbeque a
Patagonian lamb for you). Cochamó is for me one of those hidden treasures on
the northern side, although not so hidden anymore. Who knows how many more
there are.

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INTPenis
Interesting stuff. The re-creation of Spanish geography in place names, the
ancient history of piracy around those islands, ties to the Spanish kingdom.
All leads me to believe this was a secret society founded by pirates and kept
going as a sort of organized crime gang surfing on their old wave of power on
the island.

The occult parts are often present in secret societies for various reasons,
perhaps only to cement the loyalty of members. Or in a time when science
education was far from prevalent, to imbue a deep respect for the order.

Either way it sounds like the occult stuff was just a small part of their
business. It was in fact just a crime syndicate that had devised a way to rule
over their island.

I really want someone to find that book and carbon date it. Would not surprise
me if it was from the 18th or 17th centuries.

~~~
walshemj
It would also make an interesting basis for a call of Cthulhu RPG Scenario -as
would the history of the Spanish conquest and the revolution in Haiti.

