Arachán were one of the native nations of Uruguay. Their origin is not very well-known, but some scholars consider them to be different from other local ethnicities. They were said to have come from the Inca Highlands (currently Bolivia and Peru) thousands of years ago.[1] Their name is composed of two elements: "eastern", "oriental" (Guarani: ara) + "Canna" (Quechua: achuy), as they used to cultivate Cannaceae as staple food.
Legacy
editNowadays the people of Cerro Largo Department are sometimes known as "arachanes", in memory of this extinct local ethnicity. There is also a small seaside resort in Rocha Department known as Arachania. The rivuline Austrolebias arachan was named after them as well.
References
edit- ^ "Arachanes". Retrieved 2 February 2015. (in Spanish)
External links
edit- Renzo Pi Hugarte (1969). "El Uruguay indígena" (PDF). Nuestra Tierra. Retrieved 12 May 2015. (in Spanish)
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