Case file · Folklore / legend
Pillán and the volcanoes
In Mapuche belief, pillán are powerful spirits, often ancestors, associated with volcanoes, thunder and fire; eruptions of mountains such as Villarrica (Rukapillán, 'house of the pillán') were attributed to them.
1674 CE · -39.42, -71.94 · status: legend
The account
Colonial chroniclers recorded the pillán in the 17th century (the year used here is approximate). Volcanoes remain sacred in Mapuche geography, and the Villarrica volcano, one of the most active in South America, is still called Rukapillán.
The sceptical view
A religious concept; its link to real eruptions reflects close observation of a volcanic landscape.