The history of conquest and annexation of Patagonia to the Argentinean nation state - known as the “Conquest of the Desert” in 1879 - is fundamental for the definition of a national history. In the South American imaginary, Argentina is a country created by white immigrants. In this narrative, a significant silence breaks into our present. What happened to the indigenous peoples, pre-existing in the Chilean and Argentine states? Common sense assumed that they were either exterminated or assimilated. However, indigenous demands and the growing conflict in the present force us to review the terms of this story. What are the implications of thinking about this process in terms of genocide? How does settler society develop in the extreme south of the continent? This talk proposes to explore that silenced part of history and open questions in comparative terms with the American experience.