The way by which the members of a community show their ludic dimension is a loyal expression of identity's deepest aspects. Based on the work of different investigators, and writers as important as Alonso de Ercilla, Alonso Ovalle, Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna and Francisco Nuñez de Pineda; Karen Miller, daughter of the late folklore's investigator Oreste Plath, made, on the website dedicated to his life and work, a review of traditional Chilean games, from the practices of the "araucanos" to the tournaments from the Republican time.

You can find it at: http://www.oresteplath.cl/criticas.html

Araucano Games

Most of mapuche games served as training for the children and preparation for the adults for the war. The horse races, ball games, the "chueca", "pilma", "linao", the sling and the lance, among others, were part of a physical training. The motive skills were exercised to imitate the movement of people, animals and birds, giving vigor to their dances.

There was also place for intellectual games, such as "comicán" (similar to chess). Agility and fortune took chances on the "taba" and the "tafan", through which more than once the mapuche social positions and the fate of war prisoners were bet. Cheers would go along with the game, expressing its magical and superstitious aspects.

Games from the Conquest time

The importance of horses during the Conquest time, when their value would be higher of that of a soldier, was followed by the "rodeo", a practice originated on the need of making a counting of the animals. The horse races with bets were the Spaniards´ main hobby. The peasant would include the horse in most of his celebrations and games, such as the "rodeo", the "topeaduras", the taming, the threshing by mares and the "hair races" (no mount).