Locality.—The Coast of Peru, from 22° to 24° south latitude, conterminous with the Moluché.
Numbers, according to D'Orbigny, 1000.
Thus far we have followed the line of the Western Andes in the direction from north to south, along a tract forming the narrow line between the Cordilleras and the Pacific, a tract that, politically and historically speaking, nearly coincides with the empire of the Peruvian Incas, as it was found by the Spanish conquerors under Pizarro. For the history of this remarkable empire the reader is referred to Prescott's History of Peru; the criticism that applies the facts therein found, being, in a great degree, the criticism which applies to similar civilization of Mexico.
In Chili we find the north-western branch of one of the great and definite divisions of the South American population, which may be called Chileno, Patagonian, Fuegian, Chileno-Patagonian, &c. as seems most convenient; the main fact requisite to be remembered being, that it comprises the population of three areas. 1. Chili; 2. Patagonia; 3. Tierra del Fuego.
Although for this group of Indians we have no general and collective names, the subordinate branches are conveniently denominated, Moluché, Puelché, Huilliché.
MOLUCHÉ.
Locality.—(roughly speaking)—Chili. The word Molu=Western,. Molu-che=Western People.
Synonym.—Chileno, Araucanian.