Indigenous People
Sir Francis Drake encountered many groups of people but one he came upon while sailing was the Mapuche. When he was given orders by Queen Elizabeth to voyage around the world, he reached the Mocha Islands in Peru. There he was attacked by the Mapuche and brutally beaten until his crew and him left. Mapuche means “Earth’s People” and the people were also called Araucanos by the Spanish. The Mapuche people were the first native tribe in South America. They lived in small villages with a chief as they hunted and gathered. Their religion was based upon and centered around a god they worshiped called ngenechen. This god consisted of four different parts the older man, older woman, the young boy, and young girl. Around the time of Sir Francis Drake, they had many problems with their independence. These indigenous people were not free and were constantly being attacked and threatened by Spanish conquistadors. The Spanish wanted their gold and to conquer their lands and that caused a conflict. However, the Mapuche wouldn't let the Spanish do that and the war lasted about 300 years. During the war, they obtained many skills and learned how to horseback-ride from fighting the Spanish. After they also traded with the Spanish but overall didn't like the country. This is probably why they just attacked Drake when he had arrived on their land. They were already going through war and trying to protect themselves. Drake also set out to look for riches so he probably would've taken advantage of them. The Mapuche most likely did it out of the protection of their civilization and religion.