MATACO

South American Indians of the Gran Chaco, who speak an independent language and live between the Bermejo and Pilcomayo rivers in northeastern Argentina. The Mataco are the largest and most important group of the Chaco Indians. They combine limited agriculture with fishing, hunting, and gathering of wild foods. The Mataco were discovered by Europeans in 1628. They were originally peaceful but resisted European attempts at Christianization and colonization. Many were massacred, placed on reservations, or incorporated into government colonies. Today, the Mataco are being assimilated into the mestizo (mixed-blood) population of the Chaco. In the late 20th century their population was estimated at 8,000. Many work as lumberjacks or migrate annually to employment on the sugar plantations of Jujuy and Saltawhich indicates that they no longer sustain their traditional social organization and that their culture is disappearing.