Into the Cave of Chile’s Witches (2013)

Into the Cave of Chile’s Witches (2013)(smithsonianmag.com)

64 points by hendiatris 8 years ago | 4 comments

puranjay 8 years ago |

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 8 years ago | |

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.

INTPenis 8 years ago |

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 8 years ago | |

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.