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Julius Popper (December 15, 1857 – June 5, 1893), known in Spanish as Julio Popper (), was a Romanian-born Argentine colonial engineer and explorer of Jewish ancestry. He was known as a modern "conquistador" of Tierra del Fuego in southern South America, and was both a controversial and influential figure. Popper was one of the main perpetrators of the genocide against the native Selkʼnam people in the islands,According to Federico Echelaite's account in the documentary film Los onas, vida y muerte en Tierra del Fuego (by A. Montes, A. Chapman, and J. Prelorán). and the circumstances surrounding his own death remain a mystery.
After working in Europe for several years, he took a job working on the infrastructure for the telegraph in Chile. He arrived in Argentina in 1885, where he was attracted by the possibility of gold mining in Tierra del Fuego. In 1886 he received a permit from the Argentine Government to form an exploration company to mine for gold near San Sebastián. On September 7, he led an 18-man expedition that included a chief engineer, a mineralogist, a journalist and a photographer. They found gold dust on the beach of El Páramo, in San Sebastián Bay. The expedition was rigorously and strictly enforced according to military standards with heavily armed men, with Popper in direct command of everything.
During the expedition, Popper and his men were allegedly attacked by eighty Selkʼnam (Ona) armed with bows. The expeditionaries responded by firing their , killing all but two of the Selkʼnam. After the fight, Popper "posed his men in the attitude of troops repelling a charge, took a position himself astride one of the dead Indians, and then had the outfit photographed for subsequent use."
Popper succeeded in unearthing large amounts of gold and his Compania de Lavaderos de Oro del Sud realized enormous capital gains on the Argentina stock exchange. A mint built to manage the gold was adapted as a museum in 1973, ("Museum at the End of the Earth"), officially the Museo Territorial (Territorial Museum) of Tierra del Fuego since 1979.
In Patagonia, Popper maintained dominance with his private army. He issued his own coins and stamps to symbolize his power. Two varieties of coins were issued, the 1 gram coin inscribed with El Paramo ("a high and cold region"), and the 5 gram coin inscribed with Lavaderos de Oro del Sur ("Washers of Gold of the south"), referring to gold panning from the river sediment. When the Argentine peso lost its value in Baring crisis, his gold coins were regarded as currency. Around this time, he may have produced plans for the modern outline of the city of Havana, Cuba.Ansel 1970 quotes: "He further maintains that Popper drew up some kind of "plan" for the city of Havana in 1884." "He" means
Popper vigorously fought against his enemies; he punished gold diggers and thieves according to arbitrary law. The most controversial aspect of his life was his participation in the Selkʼnam genocide against the native communities on Tierra del Fuego. Sheep farmers and gold miners ruthlessly killed them; the former because the Selkʼnam would hunt sheep in their former territories and the latter because of conflicts over mining areas. Together with other bounty hunters, who were paid to kill the Selkʼnam, Popper too sent his armed forces to manhunt them.Odone, C. and M.Palma, "La muerte exhibida fotografias de Julius Popper en Tierra del Fuego", in Mason and Odone, eds, 12 miradas. "Culturas de Patagonia: 12 Miradas: Ensayos sobre los pueblos patagonicos", Cited in Mason, Peter. 2001. The Lives of Images, P.153Leslie Ray (2025). 9788791563379, IWGIA (International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs). . ISBN 9788791563379
Popper also prepared an expedition to enforce the Argentine claim to parts of Antarctica. In 1892, he submitted a proposal to the Argentine government to build a settlement in the South Shetland Islands, accompanied by a map showing his plans for the region. Popper claimed the region was of strategic importance and that Argentina needed to take possession of it "as soon as possible". British diplomat George E. Welby took notice of this proposal and contacted Popper to assert that South Georgia, which had been marked as Argentine in his map, was a British possession.
After Popper's sudden death in Buenos Aires at the age of 35, his empire collapsed. The cause of his death has not been established. Contemporary American journalist John R. Spears says that he was poisoned by "men whom he had offended in the south." Popper's death was seen as suspicious due to his relatively young age and good health.Canclini, Arnoldo, Julio Popper, quijote del oro fueguino, Zagier & Urruty Publications, Ushuaia, 2000.
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