Arachán were one of the native nations of Uruguay. Their origin is not very well-known, but some scholars consider them to be different from other local ethnicities. They were said to have come from the Inca Highlands (currently Bolivia and Peru) thousands of years ago.[1] Their name is composed of two elements: "eastern", "oriental" (Guarani: ara) + "Canna" (Quechua: achuy), as they used to cultivate Cannaceae as staple food.
Nowadays the people of Cerro Largo Department are sometimes known as "arachanes", in memory of this extinct local ethnicity. There is also a small seaside resort in Rocha Department known as Arachania. The rivuline Austrolebias arachan was named after them as well.