Chiloé, Chile’s Most Mysterious Island, Bewitches With Its Folklore, Food, and Forests

25.09.2024 - 14:44 / matadornetwork.com

You have a phantom ship named Caleuche to thank for the haze obscuring Chiloé from sight as you sail from mainland Chile. Chilotes say this enchanted galleon travels underwater at breakneck speeds, shapeshifts to avoid detection, and rewards local merchants with booty when they dare strike a deal with its crew of wizards. Even if you don’t believe in sorcery and superstition, this mysterious archipelago will disarm you with its rugged wilderness and charming fishing villages.

Isla Grande de Chiloé, Chile’s second-largest island, is part of the southern Los Lagos Region. Its relative isolation kept Spanish influences at bay and even today, indigenous Huilliche and Chono culture remains strong. Following the same climate pattern as the Pacific Northwest, frequent rainfall nourishes the temperate rainforests edging the western coast and southern wetlands. This probably bears some responsibility for those ethereal fogs but you’ll not be able to resist keeping watch for maverick ghost ships when mist draws in.

Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

There’s no escaping tales of witches and wizards, mermaids and cryptids in Chiloé. Chilote fishermen will tell you they owe a successful haul to La Pincoya, a dancing mermaid who would have spent the evening prior gazing out to sea. A poor bounty suggests she turned her back on the fish that night. El Trauco is the axe-wielding dwarf nobody wants to encounter in the twisted woodlands. The Coo has the body of a rooster and the head of a cat whose caw implies wizards are close. El Basilisco Chilote petrified islanders long before J. K. Rowling penned Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Wood-carved effigies of Chiloé’s mythological creatures line Blanco Encalada in Castro. They’re the favored subject of trinkets sold at the artisanal markets in the east coast villages. Stop to admire the handspun woolen hats, scarves, ponchos, and sweaters knitted before your eyes at these feria. Chilote superstition says that when the needles of two knitters meet, they’ll be friends for life.

Photo: Hannah D. Cooper

Palafitos are the postcard image of Chiloé. These colorful stilt houses bridge land and sea and harmonize with the tides. Living quarters occupy the upper level whereas a lower terrace is used for fishing and other maritime tasks. Most remaining palafitos sit on the outskirts of Castro, the island capital on the sheltered eastern side, and are viewable from miradors along Ruta 5.

A small number of palafitos are used for tourist accommodation. La Mar Casa is a traditional two-bedroom palafito with an overwater deck and a larch wood exterior to waterproof and insulate the home. This same nail-less tiling applies to many of the UNESCO-designated churches dotted all over Chiloé. You’ll