December 2002

Teacher Guide prepared by: Gloria W. Lannom, a regular contributor to FACES ^®.

Look at the map. How would you describe the general shape of Chile? (long and thin, extending from the border of Peru in the north down to Cape Horn, the southernmost part of South America) Find Peru and Cape Horn on the map.

What is the capital of Chile? (Santiago) Can you find it on the map? Read the article starting on page 15. Who established this city? (Pedro de Valdivia) On whose orders did he set out to do so? (Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conqueror and governor of Peru) Who issued the instructions for laying out the site of the city? (Charles V of Spain) What natural assets were specified? (water, building materials, and lands suitable for raising cattle and crops) If you were in Santiago in the late 1500s, what kind of house would you be living in? (wood hut with straw roof)

Who is considered the liberator of Chile? (Bernardo O'Higgins) From whom was he liberating Chile and why? (from Spain because the Chileans wanted their independence)

What important climatic event that affects the world's weather are scientists investigating today? (El Ni' ±o) How often does it occur and how long does it last? (about every five years; 12 - 18 months)

Describe Chile's three main landforms? (cordillera, a low mountain range along the western coast; the pampa, a central valley; and the rugged Andes Mountains)

What are two possible explanations for the name Chile? (a. from an Indian word, chilli, meaning where the land runs out; b. from tchili, an Indian word that means snow)

What are some foods found in Chile that were new to the Spanish (that is, they were not available in Europe at that time)? (chilies, potatoes, corn, pumpkins, beans, and some types of fish) If you go to Chile and want to taste fast food, what will you order and what are they? (empanadas, baked pastries filled with such goodies as meat, cheese, seafood, onions, raisins, chilies, olives, hardboiled eggs, and spices - yum, yum!)

Do you like mysteries? What mystery is featured in this issue of FACES ^®? (the mystery of Easter Island) Look at the map on page 25. Where is Easter Island located? (2,300 miles off the Chilean coast) How did the island get its name? (It was discovered on Easter 1722 by a Dutch admiral.) Who were the ancient people who lived on the island? (Rapa Nui) How were they organized? (in clans ruled by chieftains) What remains did these people leave behind? (moai, giant statues of male heads and torsos)

How were these statues moved into place? (Scholars think that they were carved in a stone quarry and rolled on log tracks to their locations.) But wait! Easter Island has no trees so where did the logs come from? (Scientists have discovered that at the time the moai were carved, between 1400 and 1600, the island was covered with forests which provided plenty of logs.)

Where did the original inhabitants of Easter Island come from? (Polynesia) What modern technique helped scientists find this out? (DNA)

What led to the decline of the Rapa Nui society? (They cut down all the trees to make farmland which meant they had no wood for building houses to live in or boats for fishing. The lack of trees to keep the topsoil from eroding led to lower crop yields.)

Return to the first map and find the Atacama Desert. How is the Atacama Desert described? (the world's driest desert) Can you find the main cities of Arica, Iquique, and Antofagasta? Now look down 600 miles almost to the Aconcagua River, just above the center of the country. That is about where the Atacama Desert ends.

What strange phenomenon occurs in the Atacama? (camanchaca, a thick fog that forms but does not produce rain) What device have scientists created to save some of the moisture? (They have designed nets, called "cloud trappers," that capture water that then flows through tubes to iron tanks.)

Every few years heavy rains fall on Mt. Silla. This results in desierto florido, "flowering desert." Describe this natural event. (Rainwater wets the seeds lying in the desert making them grow and bloom profusely for several months.)

What valuable minerals are found underground in the Atacama Desert? (copper, silver, salts, sulphur, and sodium nitrates)

How do we know that people have been living in the Atacama Desert for 10,000 years? (mummies, rock paintings, pottery, and textiles have been found)

Look at the article on Chile's story cloths on page 34. What does the word arpillera mean? (burlap) Why were these story cloths named arpilleras? (because burlap was used for the backing for the cloth pictures) Can you think of something made in America by women that is like Chilean story cloths? (many patchwork quilts tell stories about the lives of the people who used them)

What are the names of two Chilean women literary figures?