The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of present-day south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of present-day Patagonia.
Once upon a time, there was a Mapuche clan living Underneath the volcano Osorno. The daughter of the chef, called Licarayén, was pretty, kind, and pure. Her name means “the flower that grows on the stone."
Many young men from her clan pursued her, but Licarayén had already selected her lover. However, the happiness of the young couple didn’t last long. One day, a volcano erupted. All around the village, animals died, and an epidemic killed people everywhere. 
Los Lonkos(leaders of each community) gather with the chef to discuss what to do. They eventually decided to let a Machi summon the spirit that lived in the volcano. The spirit told the Machi that he was mad because the clan hadn’t been making sacrifices. It asked for the heart of the prettiest girl in the Clan to make up for the negligence.
After searching around the clan, the Lonkos eventually decided that Licarayén was the prettiest among all girls. They asked the chief to sacrifice his daughter, but angrily, the Chief refused. After hearing the Lonko’s decision, Licarayén escaped with her husband.
As they were running away, however, Licarayén saw the volcano exploding again. She felt sorry for the people in her Clan. After grappling with her thought, Licarayén made up her mind to go back.
Seeing how determined his daughter was, the Chief finally agreed to sacrifice Licarayén. Before the ritual began, Machi told the husband that the volcano spirit wanted him to take out Licarayén's heart. Her husband became devastated, yet he had no choice but to do so.
The husband experienced such immense sadness that, when he saw the death of his wife, he pierced his own heart as well. The lovers both died, but at least they could stay together forever.
Immediately after the heart was sacrificed, snow began to fall heavily. After snowing for a few days, the sun came up, and all the snow melted, forming the lake Llanquihue. Licarayén saved her Clan.
Human sacrifice
The Mapuches explain natural disasters as signs of the gods’ discontent. And the solution, oftentimes, is human sacrifices. The ritual of human sacrifice involves opening up a victim’s chest and taking out the heart with a special spear. Then, the Machi raises the heart to the sky, “giving” it to the gods. The Mapuches might have become even more convinced of the effectiveness of the ritual as many disasters subsided afterward.
Although the ending is sad, Licarayén saved her Clan. The story praises Licarayén’s bravery. It honors her selflessness for sacrificing herself for the good of her community.
Machi
Are religious leaders of the Mapuches. They are often women, and may have the ability to summon and communicate with gods and spiritual beings. Even the chiefs of Mapuche clans sometimes turn to Machi for advice.
“Category:Shamanism of the Americas.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Apr. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Shamanism_of_the_Americas.
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