Towards the end of the 16th century, Mapuche-speaking agriculturalists penetrated the western Andes and from there across into the eastern plains and down to the far south. Through confrontation and technological ability, they came to dominate the other peoples of the region in a short period of time, and are the principal indigenous community today.[1] The Mapuche model of domination through technological superiority and armed confrontation was later repeated as Europeans implemented a succeeding, but conceptually identical cycle, essentially replacing the position of the former dominators with a new, albeit predominately European class.[citation needed]