Saavedra is a commune of Chile in Cautín Province, Araucanía Region. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the Cautín Province is a province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile, bounded on the north by Arauco and Malleco provinces Political and administrative division See also Araucanization Arauco War Occupation The principal community and administrative centre of the comuna is the town of Puerto Saavedra. Saavedra is a commune of Chile in Cautín Province, Araucanía Region. The comuna is named after the Chilean soldier General Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez who was placed in charge of the occupation of the Araucanía in 1860. This article is about the Chilean military man for his Argentine grandfather see Cornelio Saavedra. The Occupation of the Araucania (1861–1883 was a series of Military campaigns agreements and penetrations by the Chilean army and Settlers It has the highest percentage—though not the largest number—of Mapuche people in the region (64%, 2002 census). The Mapuche are the indigenous inhabitants of Central and Southern Chile and Southern Argentina.