Georeferenced Mapuche Mythological Landforms in Chile and Argentina

A geomythological database catalogs and georeferences geographical features linked to the Mapuche cosmogony of Trentrén and Caicai. The inventory includes diverse landform units identified through a critical review of bibliographic and cartographic sources. It was created by Cristian Bastías-Curivil and last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyze the spatial distribution of 'certain' vs. 'uncertain' sites using the 'Degree of Certainty' column to assess source reliability.
• Map the locations of plateaus, points, and islands from the inventory to visualize the myth's geographical footprint.
• Cross-reference sites classified as 'proposed' (from academic articles) with those classified as 'certain' (from IGM cartography) for validation studies.
• Use the geospatial coordinates to correlate mythological landforms with regional geological or environmental features.

Strengths

• Includes a 'Degree of Certainty' column with three explicit classification categories (certain, proposed, uncertain).
• Integrates data from authoritative sources like the Military Geographic Institute of Chile (IGM) cartography.
• Provides data in multiple geospatial formats (KMZ, Shapefile) alongside tabular Excel data.

Limitations

• The dataset is very small at 82.7 KB, indicating a limited inventory of sites.
• Contains entries with 'uncertain' georeferencing due to aged source material or imperfect positioning.
• The exact number of cataloged landforms (rows) is unknown, limiting reproducibility assessments.

Provenance

Source

Compiled from bibliographic sources, cartographic materials (including IGM maps), and personal communications.

Collection Method

Critical review and integration of diverse sources to identify and georeference landforms.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Chile and Argentina, specifically between Concepción and Chiloé.