Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, landing on March…
March 1520 CE
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, landing on March 1, 1520, in the arid southern thirty percent of South America, reportedly sights a number of Tehuelche people wearing oversize boots, prompting him to call the region Patagonia, which means "big feet."
The Tehuelche people have a history of over fourteen thousand five hundred years in the region, based on archaeological findings.
Their pre-Columbian history is divided in three main stages: a stage with large rock tools, a stage where the use of bolas prevails over peaked projectiles, and a third one of highly complex rock tools, each one with a specific purpose.
The nomadic lifestyle of Tehuelches leaves scarce archaeological evidence of their past.
They are hunter-gatherers living as nomads.
During the winters they live in the lowlands, catching fish and shellfish.
During the spring they migrate to the central highlands of Patagonia and the Andes Mountains, where they spend the summer and early fall, and hunt game.
Although they develop no original pottery, they are well known for their cave paintings.