· Organisation founded
Founding of the Consejo de Todas las Tierras, 1990
The lead autonomy-focused Mapuche organisation was founded in Chile.
Significance here: The founding organisation of the modern Mapuche self-determination movement.
Autonomy and Indigenous self-government
Mapuche self-determination
Per the catalogue's instruction to specify organisations and their actual goals, this bundle distinguishes the Consejo de Todas las Tierras (founded 1990), which seeks autonomy and self-government rather than a declared independence campaign, from the more radical Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco (CAM, founded 1998), which rejects Chilean institutions and has pursued land occupations and sabotage. It also documents the 18 June 2024 Inter-American Court ruling in Huilcamán Paillama et al. v. Chile, which recognised Indigenous self-determination as an independent right. This bundle covers organisations active in Chile and does not address a separate, distinct Mapuche movement in Argentina, which is outside its scope.
- Reading time
- 1 min read
- Published
- Status verified as of
What is this case about?
The Consejo de Todas las Tierras was founded in 1990 in Chile, demanding the recovery of ancestral Mapuche lands, revival of the Mapudungun language, creation of an autonomous Mapuche government based on traditional institutions, and constitutional recognition of Mapuche rights, framed as autonomy and self-government rather than a declared independence campaign.[1] The Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco (CAM) was founded in 1998 as a more radical organisation that rejects Chilean state institutions and has pursued land occupations and sabotage against forestry and extractive industries as part of its self-determination claim.[2] On 18 June 2024, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in Huilcamán Paillama et al. v. Chile, arising from 1992 protests by the Consejo de Todas las Tierras, finding Chile internationally responsible for rights violations against Mapuche protesters and recognising Indigenous self-determination as an independent right under the American Convention.[3]
At a glance
Current position
Status verified as of
Mapuche communities remain within Chile, with no dedicated autonomous Mapuche territory established. The Consejo de Todas las Tierras continues to advocate for autonomy and self-government through legal and civil-protest methods, while the CAM continues a more confrontational campaign involving land occupations and sabotage. The June 2024 Inter-American Court ruling represents a significant legal development recognising Indigenous self-determination as an independent right, though its practical implementation for Mapuche communities remains ongoing.[3]
History
History of Mapuche self-determination organising
From the 1990 founding of the Consejo de Todas las Tierras to the 2024 Inter-American Court ruling.
70 words · 1 min read
Key dates
Full timeline· Legal decision
Huilcamán Paillama et al. v. Chile ruling, 2024
The Inter-American Court found Chile responsible for rights violations and recognised Indigenous self-determination as an independent legal right.
Significance here: A landmark international legal recognition of Indigenous self-determination as an independent right relevant to the Mapuche case.
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: The Consejo de Todas las Tierras (Council of All Lands) was founded in 1990 in Chile, demanding the recovery of ancestral Mapuche lands, revival of the Mapudungun language, creation of an autonomous Mapuche government based on traditional Mapuche institutions, and constitutional recognition of Mapuche rights; self-determination was presented as the central focus of an eight-point public demand document, framed as autonomy and self-government rather than a declared independence campaign.
- Mapuche people (Nationalia) link, Council of All Lands programme section. Source record
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2.
Claim: The Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco (CAM) was founded in 1998 in Chile as an autonomist Mapuche organisation seeking the recovery of ancestral territories and defence of Mapuche cultural, political and economic rights; CAM rejects Chilean state institutions and has pursued land occupations and sabotage targeting forestry and extractive industries as part of its self-determination claim.
- The Radicalization of the Mapuche in the Southern [Cone] (RIET Journal, 2025) link, CAM founding and methods section. Source record
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3.
Claim: On 18 June 2024, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled in Huilcamán Paillama et al. v. Chile, arising from 1992 protests by the Consejo de Todas las Tierras following a First Mapuche Tribunal declaration that the Chilean state had illegally dispossessed Mapuche lands; the Court found Chile internationally responsible for rights violations in the criminal proceedings against the protesters and, in this and a related judgment, recognised Indigenous self-determination as an independent right under Article 26 of the American Convention, covering both a community's internal governance and its external political participation.
- Expanding Frontiers of Indigenous Self-Determination: Recent Developments at the Inter-American Court (American Society of International Law (ASIL)) link, Ruling and self-determination findings section. Source record