Abstract

The article approaches the epic poems that sang the process of conquest of Chile in the 16th century and, especially, the Arauco War. These works offer a representation that although it exalted the natives as heroes in battle, portrayed them also as barbarians, complex configuration that reflected an epic but critique perception on the conflict. From this consideration, we review the uses of the terms barbarian and barbarism in these poems, analyzing their complexity and the intrinsic tensions between the significant tradition of these concepts and the perceptions of the conflict that the authors projected in their works.