The not so short Chilean History: Part I The Arauco's war

Arauco's War

Magallanes.
The first European that looked at Chilean territory was Hernando de Magallanes, he discovered the Magellan Strait in 1520. For 25 years this territoy was a forgotten land.

Almagro.
When Spaniards take over Inca Empire and kill Atahualpa, Inca's living-god. Quechua people told conquerors about a land filled with gold south of the Inca empire's border. Quickly the conquerors started a raid to the Chilean territory. 300 Spaniards, 150 blacks and 10000 yanaconas left Peru marching to the south. The Andes mountains kill 20 Spaniards, 170 horses and 8500 yanaconas, ,The column arrive at Copiapo valley where the Spaniards burn some Diaguitas as a punishment for an attemp to resist the conquest. But Spaniards didn't find gold in this valley. Still marching up to Aconcagua Valley. Picunche people shown hospitality with Spaniards, but when realize the real intentions of them, run away to hide them in the mountains. And no gold was found in the aconcagua Valley. Then Spaniards went further in south direction up to the Itata Valley. There a coalition of promaucaes (Free Picunches not ruled by Inca's) and Mapuches fight in Reynogüelén against Spaniards. Finally horses, armors and fire guns provide a Spaniard victory. But the aborigine’s resistance and territory's poverty force Almagro to go back Peru. For a long time, Chilean territory becomes to be the cursed land of the Spanish empire.


Valdivia.

Rich and influent, veteran of the Europeans wars of Holland, Flandes and Italy and in the American conquest of Santo Domingo, Venezuela and Peru nobody understood why ask to the Viceroy Pizarro for permit to conquest Chile. He left peru with 11 Spaniards and 1000 Yanaconas. During the march another Spaniards join the column to complete 110 Spaniards and 1 black.

Jun 11 1541: Santiago del Nuevo Extremo is funded in the Mapocho Valley.


September 11 1541: Santiago was atacked by 8000 Promaucaes under orders of Michimalongo, Ines de Suarez, the only spaniard women and Valdivia's lover direct the resistance, wearing a plate and producing a rapier cut off by herself aborigen hostage's heads giving courage to spaniards to keep fighting.


1544: Valdivia started the conquest of Mapuche territory. In Quilacura the Spaniards meet for first time Araucanian warriors an tactics. Them receive a nocturnal attack by close squadrons armored with pikes and heavy sticks. Armored Ritter and fire guns gave advantage to Spaniards, Valdivia realized the diference in tactics and courage of the araucanians respect to inca and becomes worried, he told to his lieutenant "Them fights like Dutch". At the end of the battle he saw a child taking care of is death father, call his attention that the child didn’t cry. He takes the child prisoner to be trained as a yanacona. The young man started a friendship whit the Spaniard captain Marcos Beas that trained him like a soldier. And he becomes to be a good soldier. His name was Lautaro, (speedy hawk) son of the warlord Curiñancu.

1552 : Lautaro ran out Concepcion and went back to Arauco. There he talked with Mapuche's senate. Then aborigines start to develop strategies to defeat the Spaniard Cavalry. The Araucanian army becomes to be an heavy infantry with leather armors and specialized warriors helped by a light cavalry.
1553:

Tucapel: Mapuche army defeated a Spaniard column, long spears were used to stop Spaniard cavalry, laces were used to take the Ritter off the horses and finally heavy stone hammers were used to finish the work breaking the helmets with heads inside. The captain valdivia was taken prisoner and killed last 3 days of torture. Valdivia's skull has been preserved in hidden by mapuches up to this day.

Marihueñu: Villagra organize Concepcion defense, 370 Spaniards and 1000 Yanaconas survivors of Tucapel making the last attempt to stop araucanians, only 66 castellans survive the battle.

Concepcion: Concepcion was destroyed by the araucanians. Penquista survivors arrive at Santiago.


1554:

Concepcion was reconstructed.
Concepcion was attacked and destroyed once time again.

1557

Lautaro was marching against Santiago, talking with his ex friend Beas offered stopping the atack if Spaniards never more cross Maule river and gave a tribute in women and horses. Obviously the offer was not accepted.

Mataquito: Lautaro becomes to be cruel with his Picunche allies. Then one of them gave the position to spaniards. Captain villagra with a reduced force started a surprise attack against Lautaro camp. With the fight voice "by Santiago by Spain Avant" the Spaniards in a suicidal attack goes directly to the Lautaro tenth and killing him.

.....

Arauco's war still for 300 years up to the last battles between 1868-1886, in final process, the pacification of the araucania 10.000 aborigines passed out fighting against the Chilean army. finally an agreement annexing Araucanian territory to the chilean republic.

With the end of the war Chile gain his territorial continuity, avoid french attemps to anexate these territories and taken control of the fertile land of the Arauco starting with a colonization process.

-In the spanish period 50.000 spaniards troopers were killed.
-No register about Mapuche causalities exist.
-After the war the mapuche people was reduced from 500.000 to 25.000 by diseases and starving.

Villagra, Ercilla, Alvarado, Pelantaru, Alejo, Janequeo all of them are names Chileans will never forget.