Not the last, not the only one: The life of Cristina Calderón

Cristina Calderón died in 2022 in Punta Arenas in southern Chile. She was considered the last Yaghan and a living cultural heritage. Her granddaughter Cristina Zárraga lived with her for a long time and took on the task of keeping the Yaghan culture and language alive.

“Born and raised in Concepción, Chile, I met my Yaghan grandmother Cristina Calderón for the first time in 1999. I then set out to search for my roots in the Yaghan and Selk’nam cultures and moved to Isla Navarino to live with her, from where my father had left years ago. I spent more than ten years living with my grandmother and the Yaghan family in Ukika.” Cristina Zárraga

Note:
Cristina Zárraga will give a lecture on the Yaghan language at the Austrian Latin American Institute (LAI) on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
Information and registration

Lecture in German language
To participate in the event, all guests need a valid museum ticket.
Participation is free for annual ticket holders, Weltmuseum Wien Friends, Patrons, Members and Ambassadors as well as ICOM members and holders of the Kulturpass.
Registration: online (Link to follow)
Meeting point: WMW Forum
Admission from 6.30 p.m.