Michael A. Stecker
mstecker@dslextreme.com


 

Punta Arenas, Chile and Strait of Magellan
In October of 1520, Hernando de Magallanes journeyed through the waters of the historic
strait which today bears his name. At night, firelight could be seen shining from the shores.
Magallanes named this La Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire). The lights he saw came from the
Ona people who gathered around bonfires to survive the cold nights. Nomads and hunters, the
Onas blazed the first trails in Tierra del Fuego in their hunt for the guanaco, the mainstay of
their diet.