Chile's debate over Indigenous recognition has become a major constitutional issue, particularly for the Mapuche, the country's largest Indigenous people. Despite two failed constitutional referendums in 2022 and 2023, the question of recognizing Indigenous communities and protecting their collective rights remains unresolved. The proposed reforms address cultural identity, ancestral territories, political participation, and the relationship between Indigenous communities and the Chilean state. In 2025, President Gabriel Boric introduced another constitutional reform bill seeking formal recognition of Indigenous peoples. As of November 2026, the proposal remains under consideration in the Senate, leaving the Mapuche recognition debate open.
Who Are the Mapuche People?
The Mapuche are the largest Indigenous population in Chile, with historical communities concentrated primarily in the south-central regions of the country. Their ancestral territories include parts of present-day Araucanía, Biobío, Los Ríos, and Los Lagos.
The Mapuche have maintained a distinct cultural identity through their language, Mapudungun, traditional community structures, spiritual practices, and relationship with ancestral land.
Historically, Mapuche communities maintained significant autonomy during Spanish colonial rule. However, their territories were progressively incorporated into Chilean state control during the military campaigns known as the Occupation of Araucanía in the late nineteenth century.
The expansion of state authority and subsequent land transfers fundamentally changed Mapuche land ownership and settlement patterns. Many communities lost access to territories they considered ancestral, creating disputes that continue to influence Chilean politics.
Why Is Mapuche Recognition a Constitutional Issue?
Chile's Constitution, originally adopted in 1980, does not explicitly recognize Indigenous peoples as distinct communities with collective constitutional rights.
Although legislation such as Indigenous Law No. 19,253 recognizes Indigenous communities and provides certain protections, Indigenous organizations have argued that ordinary legislation does not offer sufficient constitutional guarantees.
The main demands include recognition of Indigenous identity, protection of languages and cultural traditions, participation in political institutions, and stronger safeguards for ancestral territories.
For many Mapuche organizations, constitutional recognition is also connected to the broader demand for greater self-determination and meaningful participation in decisions affecting their communities.
Chile's 2022 Constitutional Vote and the Proposal for a Plurinational State
Following widespread social protests in October 2019, Chile initiated a constitutional process intended to replace the Constitution established during the Pinochet dictatorship.
An elected Constitutional Convention began drafting a new charter in 2021. It included 155 members, with 17 reserved seats for representatives of Indigenous peoples.
One of the most significant provisions in the proposed Constitution was the recognition of Chile as a plurinational state. This concept acknowledged the existence of different Indigenous nations within a single country.
The proposal sought to recognize Indigenous peoples' collective rights, cultural identities, self-determination, and participation in public institutions.
Mapuche representatives played an important role in the process. Elisa Loncón, a Mapuche academic, was elected president of the Constitutional Convention in July 2021.
However, the proposal faced substantial opposition over its institutional structure, political implications, and provisions concerning Indigenous autonomy.
On September 4, 2022, Chileans rejected the proposed Constitution in a national referendum:
- Rejected: 61.86% (7,882,238 votes).
- Approved: 38.14% (4,859,039 votes).
Consequently, the proposed plurinational framework and its Indigenous recognition provisions never became constitutional law.
The 2023 Constitutional Referendum: A Different Approach to Indigenous Rights
Chile launched a second constitutional process after the rejection of the 2022 proposal. This time, a newly elected Constitutional Council prepared a different draft with a stronger emphasis on national unity.
Unlike the previous proposal, the 2023 draft did not establish Chile as a plurinational state. Instead, it recognized Indigenous peoples as part of the Chilean nation, described as one and indivisible.
The proposal also called for respect for Indigenous peoples' individual and collective rights, cultural diversity, and intercultural dialogue.
However, the second constitutional proposal was also rejected in a national referendum on December 17, 2023.
- Rejected: 55.76% (6,894,287 votes).
- Approved: 44.24% (5,470,025 votes).
The result ended the second constitutional replacement attempt and left the 1980 Constitution in force.
Gabriel Boric's 2025 Bill to Recognize Indigenous Peoples
On June 19, 2025, President Gabriel Boric introduced another constitutional reform initiative aimed at formally recognizing Indigenous peoples in Chile's Constitution.
The proposal takes a different approach from the previous constitutional drafts. Rather than establishing a plurinational state, it seeks to recognize Indigenous peoples within the existing constitutional structure of the Chilean Republic.
The initiative identifies the 11 Indigenous peoples recognized under Chilean legislation:
- Mapuche
- Aymara
- Rapa Nui
- Atacameño or Lickanantay
- Quechua
- Colla
- Diaguita
- Chango
- Kawésqar
- Yagán
- Selk'nam
The proposed reform emphasizes cultural identity, individual and collective rights, interculturality, and Indigenous participation in public institutions.
It also envisages further legislation to establish mechanisms for Indigenous participation in state decision-making bodies.
Current Status of Chile's Indigenous Recognition Bill
The constitutional reform was introduced in the Chilean Senate on July 1, 2025, under legislative bulletin No. 17.643-07.
The proposal was subsequently combined with several earlier constitutional initiatives concerning Indigenous recognition and representation.
According to the legislative records available in November 2026, the bill remains in its first constitutional stage in the Senate, with the first report from the Constitution, Legislation, Justice and Regulation Committee recorded as the relevant substage.
No final legislative vote or promulgation has been recorded. Therefore, Indigenous recognition under this proposed reform has not yet become part of Chile's Constitution.
Mapuche Ancestral Land Rights and the Conflict in Southern Chile
Constitutional recognition is closely connected to the longstanding Mapuche land dispute in southern Chile.
Many Mapuche communities seek the restitution of territories they consider ancestral lands. These claims are rooted in historical dispossession, the expansion of state authority, and the transfer of Indigenous land to private agricultural and forestry interests.
Disputes have particularly affected the Araucanía and Biobío regions, where Indigenous organizations, private landowners, forestry companies, and government authorities have been involved in prolonged conflicts.
Some Mapuche organizations pursue land restitution through political negotiations and legal channels, while more radical groups have engaged in confrontational actions and violence. These different approaches should not be treated as representative of the entire Mapuche population.
For Indigenous communities, formal constitutional recognition is only one part of a broader demand for historical justice. Land restitution, cultural protection, political representation, and meaningful participation remain central issues.
Conclusion
Chile's efforts to recognize the Mapuche and other Indigenous peoples have faced repeated political setbacks. The 2022 constitutional proposal, which sought to establish a plurinational state, was rejected by 61.86% of voters. A second proposal in 2023, which recognized Indigenous peoples within a unified Chilean nation, was also rejected by 55.76%.
President Gabriel Boric's 2025 constitutional reform bill represents another attempt to address the issue through formal recognition of Indigenous peoples and their individual and collective rights. However, the proposal remains under consideration in the Senate as of November 2026.
For the Mapuche, the debate extends beyond constitutional recognition. Their demands also concern ancestral land, cultural identity, self-determination, and political representation. How Chile addresses these issues will remain an important test of its relationship with Indigenous communities.
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