Land Grant in Antiquity: a pattern for Modern Colonialism Regulations?

Toward the end of the 19th century, an independent Chile experienced a fast-territorial expansion and established several colonies in the southern territories of Santiago, included Araucanía, where lived the Mapuche, a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentine. For this, the government in Santiago promoted a new colonial project. First, the Mapuche were persuaded to remise their land and to live in the cities; second, the Chilean government aimed to convince the European to settle in Chile by describing all benefits of a new life in South America. Many families, especially from Germany and Italy, chosen to live in Chile. This paper aims to point out some similarities between Roman laws of the 4th century CE. regarding the long-standing issue of abandoned lands (agri deserti). and Chilean laws relating to remise and colonization of Mapuche’s territory, especially the laws of 1866 and 1874.