People and Culture
At the first glance, you will find that many Chileans you see in the center of the city are mostly not characterized by purely indigenous features. More typical, like for other Latin American Countries, is that most of them have a mixed appearance. Even though that the indigenous population is large and represents 11.08% of the country (census 2012, people who are declared as indigenous), with its largest group of Mapuches with over 1,500,000 people, followed by Diaguitas and Aimaras.
While Chile has had strong economic growth and the highest incomes in the region, you can just take a bus (micro) and visit some other locations (known as towns and campus) out of the town to understand that the economic boom has not reached everyone equally. However, being economically disadvantaged, you will still usually encounter friendly people, happy, smiling and caring.
The main traditional customs can be seen in the rural areas, for example when you visit the town of Pomaire..
An excellent opportunity to learn about the culture and heritage of Chile is visiting and touring the many free activities, which are taking place on the Heritage Day.