Sacralizando el territorio entre montaña y estepa: prácticas religiosas y cuidado ambiental en la Patagonia del sur rionegrino

Abstract

This paper explores the environmental relationality exercised by a Patagonian steppe’s population. This case study explores productive practices that move them between the steppe and the mountains through transhumance. This practice brings together the population enacting Camaruco, a Mapuche festival, with greater continuity throughout the region and the recovery of Catholic masses. From the religious rituals, the study examines the spiritual appreciation of human and nonhuman connections and the significance of the environment through identity and belonging processes made explicit in encounters.