The Occupation of Araucanía —also known by the euphemism Pacification of Araucanía[1]— was the process of military occupation, colonization and annexation of the territories of the Mapuche indigenous people of the area located between the Biobío rivers in the north and Toltén in the south, as well as their forced transfer to "reductions" carried out by the Chilean State starting in 1861, during the presidency of José Joaquín Pérez, and which lasted until 1883, under the control of Domingo Santa María.
Background
In the lands of Araucanía "Araucanía (historical region)") lived more than 100,000 indigenous people of the Pehuenche and Mapuche peoples.[2] Said territory had remained autonomous from the parliaments reached during the so-called War of Arauco against the Hispanic Monarchy.
After the independence of Chile, already in the republican period, a general parliament was held with the Mapuches who lived south of the Biobío River with the purpose of agreeing on the statute that would regulate relations between the nascent republic and the Mapuche people; Thus, the Parliament of Tapihue "Parliament of Tapihue (1825)") was held in January 1825, which, because it was not ratified by Congress, as required by the Constitution of 1823, never had legal validity. However, various events subsequently occurred that forced the Chilean state to allocate resources to the border area.
During the Revolution of 1851, General José María de la Cruz, leader of the coup movement, recruited several Mapuche loncos and their clans to take up arms against the government. This was achieved thanks to the friendly relationship that the general maintained with the caciques, among them Maguin.[3] When their insurrection was crushed by General Manuel Bulnes, the caciques, instead of surrendering alongside De la Cruz, retreated to the border along with several members discharged from the old army, dedicating themselves to looting and cattle theft, for the next 4 years. This motivated the government to mobilize the second battalion of the second line, until January 1856. In addition, the indigenous people supported the liberal rebels in the Revolution of 1859, which increased resentment against them on the part of the central government.[4].
In the middle of the century the position of the Chilean population, compared to the still independent Mapuches, was not favorable. In the press of the time, opinions such as the following were expressed:
Pacified territories
Introduction
The Occupation of Araucanía —also known by the euphemism Pacification of Araucanía[1]— was the process of military occupation, colonization and annexation of the territories of the Mapuche indigenous people of the area located between the Biobío rivers in the north and Toltén in the south, as well as their forced transfer to "reductions" carried out by the Chilean State starting in 1861, during the presidency of José Joaquín Pérez, and which lasted until 1883, under the control of Domingo Santa María.
Background
In the lands of Araucanía "Araucanía (historical region)") lived more than 100,000 indigenous people of the Pehuenche and Mapuche peoples.[2] Said territory had remained autonomous from the parliaments reached during the so-called War of Arauco against the Hispanic Monarchy.
After the independence of Chile, already in the republican period, a general parliament was held with the Mapuches who lived south of the Biobío River with the purpose of agreeing on the statute that would regulate relations between the nascent republic and the Mapuche people; Thus, the Parliament of Tapihue "Parliament of Tapihue (1825)") was held in January 1825, which, because it was not ratified by Congress, as required by the Constitution of 1823, never had legal validity. However, various events subsequently occurred that forced the Chilean state to allocate resources to the border area.
During the Revolution of 1851, General José María de la Cruz, leader of the coup movement, recruited several Mapuche loncos and their clans to take up arms against the government. This was achieved thanks to the friendly relationship that the general maintained with the caciques, among them Maguin.[3] When their insurrection was crushed by General Manuel Bulnes, the caciques, instead of surrendering alongside De la Cruz, retreated to the border along with several members discharged from the old army, dedicating themselves to looting and cattle theft, for the next 4 years. This motivated the government to mobilize the second battalion of the second line, until January 1856. In addition, the indigenous people supported the liberal rebels in the Revolution of 1859, which increased resentment against them on the part of the central government.[4].
However, there were still those who opposed the occupation and subjugation of the natives, considering the idea of forcibly dispossessing them of their lands to be barbaric:
At the beginning of that century the main indigenous groups were:
• - Nagches or abajinos: They occupied the intermediate Depression[7] and were governed by Lorenzo Colipí in the north (Purén in Malleco) and Venancio Coñoepán in the south (Repocura") in Cholchol),[8] both fought for the patriots in the Chilean War of Independence[9] and supported him during most of the Pacification[10] but they were rivals among themselves for better treatment with the military and the domination of the Nagches.[11] Only when the army named the Coñoepán as its main allies did the Colipí rebel.[12].
• - Wenteches or Arribanos: They lived in the valleys of the Precordillera and at the beginning of the century they were governed by the chiefs Francisco Marilúan") and Juan Mangin Hueno.[10] They fought for the royalist side[13] and were bitter rivals of the Abajinos[14] (mainly with the Colipí[15] and to a lesser extent with the Coñoepán).[16] To stop the advance of the Chilean army they allied themselves with federal and liberal rebels, Pehuenches and Pampas.[17].
• - Pehuenches: They were Araucanized nomads the previous century who lived in the foothills of the mountain range between Chillán and Lonquimay.[18] They collaborated with the Pincheira brothers during the War to Death "War to Death (Chile)"), but after their defeat their participation in the wars was quite secondary.[19].
• - The tribes of the Lake Budi basin, dominated by the construction of the Toltén fort.[20].
• - The Boranos, allied with the natives of Cholchol and the Abajinos, did not participate in the wars against the Chilean army until the great rebellion of 1881.[21].
• - The locals of Huillío") on the banks of the Toltén River, were related to the previous ones (although they did not always coexist in peace).[22].
• - The Indians of Pitrufquén dedicated to trade with Valdivia "Valdivia (Chile)") and were related to those of Cholchol.[23].
• - Those of Quepe between Toltén and Temuco, allied with Coñoepán and participated in the rebellion of 1881.[24].
• - Those of Llaima occupied the region of Villarrica "Villarrica (Chile)"), they were divided into several independent chiefdoms although related to the wenteches.[25].
In addition, there were other minor groups under Chilean sovereignty since independence or a few years later: the Lafquenches or Costinos of the province of Arauco, the Huilliches of Valdivia "Valdivia (Chile)"), Llanquihue and San Juan de la Costa (near Osorno) and those of the Isla Grande de Chiloé. The first participated in the War to Death "War to Death (Chile)") and the rebellion of 1881; although in a minor way.[26] This lower participation in the case of the Huilliches of the continent was as a result of the acquisition of part of their ancestral lands in the colonial period prior to the independence of Chile; which was a product of the establishment of hacienda property in the area, which marked the beginning of the difference in the history of property in the Huilliche territory with respect to what happened in the Araucanía area. For this reason, the Republic of Chile was subsequently established, the colonization of Llanquihue, and the process of growth and expansion of the cities and towns settled in the ancestral Huilliche territory, would be the events that would lead to the current distribution of the Huilliche communities in the area; and which finally meant the decrease in the territories of the Huilliche communities and the cornering of their population towards the sectors of the coast and the mountain range.[27].
Regarding the number of inhabitants of the indigenous population of that time in autonomous territory, the population according to the report published by El Anuario Estadístico de Chile carried out between 1868 and 1869:[28][29].
Occupation
Cornelio Saavedra's occupation plan
The Chilean government made the decision to occupy Araucanía after the Frenchman Orélie Antoine de Tounens had invaded the area in 1861. Tounens subjugated and created the Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia and was elected regent by important loncos of the area, taking the name of King Orélie Antoine I; Faced with the invasion, the government decided to pacify the region of the tribes controlled by Tounens.
The authorities decided to apply the plan proposed by Army General Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez "Cornelio Saavedra (Chile)"). This plan included not only military actions, but also the penetration of the territories through the transfer of Chilean culture to the other side of the border. The aim was to found cities, build public works such as roads, telegraphs and create schools and hospitals. The conquered lands would be transferred to Chilean and European settlers at no cost to encourage demographic change in the area and develop wheat production.
First Mapuche conquests and resistance
In a short time, Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez was able to occupy the area up to the Malleco River, where he refounded the city of Angol and the Negrete fort.[30] Mulchén and Lebu, in 1862. Along the coastal territory, he managed to advance to the Toltén River. This first occupation was carried out with relatively little resistance, but then there was an uprising of the Mapuches who lived near the Malleco River, under the command of the lonco Quilapán. In the following year more than 1,500 soldiers were concentrated in Angol for operations in the Araucanian interior.[31].
In December 1867, 4,000 to 5,000 Mapuche warriors had gathered in the mountainous area of Chihuaihue, coming from Moquehua, Boroa and La Imperial "La Imperial (Chile)"). 3000 spears crossed the Nahuelbuta mountain range to the west of Angol and came out north of the Malleco River where they joined forces and achieved victories in Traiguén, Curaco and Perasco") thanks to their combination of malón with guerrilla tactics. However, other sources, such as Saavedra, considered that the Abajinos and Arribanos, even with the contingents from the pampas, did not exceed 4000 spears.[33][34] At the end of the year, the Spanish government, aware of the conflict, sent a merchant ship from the Philippines with provisions and several rifles to Mapuche territory, to help in the conflict.
New uprisings and consolidation of Chilean control
In January 1869, 1,500 Mapuches were defeated in Chihuaihue by General José Manuel Pinto. The Araucanians reorganized and attacked Angol. Given this situation, the Minister of War, Francisco Echaurren, marched with reinforcements to Cautín. On the coast, Colonel Saavedra occupied Cañete "Cañete (Chile)") and Tucapel, putting down the rebellion of 1,500 warriors in Purén. On September 25, the Mapuches and the army reached an agreement in Angol. The agreement did not last long as Quilapán rebelled again with 3,000 lances, being defeated on January 25, 1871 by an army of 2,500 soldiers in Collipulli. 1870-1871 was a fiasco because the Indians adapted and usually chose to withdraw and avoid frontal combat.[36] Criticism of the method used by the military led to the decrease in offensive operations and to opt to consolidate the conquests achieved, a large number of forts and towns were built on the coast of Arauco and in the valley of the Malleco-Traiguén river.[37] This brought relative calm to the region for the next ten years. years.[38].
Saavedra also organized several parliaments in order to prevent his main enemy, Quilapán, from joining forces with other ethnic groups. Thus, for example, when the chief attempted an alliance with the Abajinos and the Huilliches of the south of Cautín in order to gather more than 8,000 spears, Saavedra prevented him from doing so thanks to the parliaments of Toltén (December 24, 1869) with the Huilliches and of Ipinco (January 19, 1870) with the Abajinos.[39] In the end, Quilapán was left alone with the 2,500 spears that the Arribans were able to gather on their own.[40].
The outcome: the last Mapuche resistance
The War of the Pacific, which pitted Chile against Peru and Bolivia in the north of the country, meant that the forces of the Chilean army concentrated on this particular conflict, a situation that was taken advantage of by the Mapuches to launch new attacks on posts located in the border areas. According to the Chilean historian and anthropologist José Bengoa, this was the first time in their entire history that the very decentralized Mapuches united in a single insurrection.[41] This new uprising that occurred in 1880 resulted in losses for both sides. But, once the war that pitted Chile against Bolivia and Peru ended, the army trained by the government of Domingo Santa María vigorously resumed the campaign to incorporate Araucanía. Colonel Gregorio Urrutia was in charge of the annexation of the remaining territory.
In Chile, on January 27, 1881, 3,000 indigenous people attacked Traiguén, destroying the haciendas and livestock.[32] After their raids on Traiguén and the Lebuelmán fort were rejected, the Mapuches set out, adding more and more lances, to attack the Los Sauces fort, then they had about 1,500. Their assault failed and when they attacked the Malleco line that they believed unguarded they were massacred, with this the Chilean troops were able to continue their advance, they crossed the Cautín, and on February 24 they founded the fort of Temuco.[42] The aborigines responded by attacking two caravans, killing 100 people, in the hills of Ñielol, that same month.[43].
During the beginning of the month of November, the last indigenous uprising took place: some 6,000 to 7,000 Conas participated in the fighting, with more than a thousand being killed or wounded.[44] According to Horacio Lara), the Araucanian tribes at that time, already reduced in numbers by the constant war, could only mobilize 8,000 spears: 2,000 from the Arribanos, 2,000 from the Abajinos, 1000 of the Costinos and the rest Huilliches. However, thanks to skillful Chilean diplomacy, the tribes never acted as a single group.[45][46].
In the case of Lumaco, the attacks began on the 5th under the command of Luis Marileo Colipí with 300 to 1,000 spears. The fort was defended by 45 national guards and 20 soldiers led by Captain Juan Barra.[47] By the 15th the battle was over.[48] The forts of Budi and Toltén were besieged[49] while Nueva Imperial was destroyed on the 7th and the surviving inhabitants had to flee to the hills.[50] At the same time Tirúa was attacked without success and from there several expeditions were launched. punitive measures.[51] The Ñielol fort was attacked on November 9, the Mapuches were close to taking it but had to withdraw after suffering hundreds of casualties.[52].
However, the biggest confrontation occurred in the Battle of Temuco"), between November 3 and 10. The fort, led by Major Bonifacio Burgos"), withstood the onslaught of 4,000 warriors (some number twice as many)[43] under the command of chief Esteban Romero. The Mapuches withdrew after suffering more than 400 casualties.[53].
Consequences
The end of the Arauco War implied the total occupation of Araucanía to the effective sovereignty of the territory of Chile. In this way, the Chilean government finally carried out one of its main state projects, desired even since the time of the Spanish, who in the colonial period were unable to settle in Araucanía due to the resistance carried out by the indomitable Mapuches. With this, the Chilean government managed to conquer the Mapuche territory and thus unite the territory north of Biobío with the territories south of Valdivia "Valdivia (Chile)") that it had managed to conquer or colonize after the independence process.
After their defeat, the Mapuche were concentrated in "reductions", small reserves generally separated from each other by areas occupied by Chilean and European settlers. In 1929, there were 3,078 reserves comprised of 525,000 hectares that were considered a concession from the Chilean state and communal property for the indigenous people and were called "merced titles." and their social organization of clans and families generated internal conflicts among them. However, the Mapuche demonstrated a great capacity to adapt to this new situation.[57].
Later in the occupied territories, in a similar way to what was done in the Llanquihue area, colonization was also carried out in which lands were given to Chilean and European settlers, mainly Spanish, German, French, English, Italian and Swiss. In total, until 1901, 36,000 Europeans had arrived, 24,000 hired by the colonization agency and 12,000 who arrived by their own means.[58].
Later, only minor rebellions would occur, such as the one that occurred in 1934, in which 477 peasants and Mapuches (who had rebelled against what they considered abuses by the administrators of the sawmills installed in the recently opened Biobío region) were killed by the Chilean Carabineros in the so-called Ránquil massacre. Another 500 were taken prisoner and, according to the senator for Temuco Juan Pradenas Muñoz, only 23 were taken to the capital to be put on trial, with the rest presumably disappeared.[59][60][61].
However, despite the "pacification" carried out in the region, the events that occurred in this process would later lead to the current Mapuche conflict present in the area between the Chilean government and some Mapuche communities.
• - General Archive of Indigenous Affairs.
• - Conquest of the Desert (The conflict in the Argentine area).
• - Territorial expansion of Chile.
• - Genocide of Tierra del Fuego.
• - Arauco War.
• - Mapuche conflict.
• - Encina, Francisco Antonio, and Leopoldo Castedo (2006). History of Chile. Advent of liberalism. Volume VII. Santiago de Chile: Editorial Santiago. ISBN 956-8402-75-6.
• - Encina, Francisco Antonio, and Leopoldo Castedo (2006). History of Chile. The War of the Pacific. Volume VIII. Santiago de Chile: Editorial Santiago. ISBN 956-8402-76-4.
• - Villalobos, Sergio (1982). History of Chile. Volume 4. Santiago de Chile: University publishing house.
• - Interculturality and Health: Mapuche History during the Formation of the Nation State (map of the advance of La Frontera).
• - Video of the "Conquest of the Desert" in Something they must have done for Argentine history.
• - Video of the "Pacification of Araucanía" in Something they will have done for the history of Chile.
[28] ↑ Estanislao Severo Zeballos (1878). La conquista de quince mil leguas: estudio sobre la traslación de la frontera Sud de la república al Río Negro, dedicado á los jefes y oficiales del ejército expedicionario. Buenos Aires: Imprenta de P. E. Coni, pp. 380-381. Véase Edición digital del 2000 Archivado el 16 de abril de 2015 en Wayback Machine. (pp. 413-414).: http://www.perio.unlp.edu.ar/catedras/system/files/zeballos_estanislao_1878_la_conquista_de_quincemil_leguas_0.pdf
[29] ↑ Conrad Malte-Brun (1881). Nueva geografía universal. Tomo II. Barcelona: Montaner y Simon Editores, pp. 997 (cifras redondeadas de población); André Bresson (1997). Visión francesa del litoral boliviano, 1886. La Paz: Embajada de Francia en Bolivia, pp. 65 (de guerreros).
[34] ↑ Mella Seguel, Eduardo (2007). Los Mapuche Ante la Justicia: La Criminalización de la Protesta Indígena en Chile. Santiago de Chile: Lom Ediciones, pp. 37. ISBN 978-9-56282-905-2.
[35] ↑ Vitale, 2000: 35.
[36] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 240.
[37] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 249 y 251.
[38] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 249.
[39] ↑ Encina, Francisco Antonio (1950). Historia de Chile desde la prehistoria hasta 1891. Santiago de Chile: Nascimiento, pp. 559.
[40] ↑ Encina, 1950: 559.
[41] ↑ René Kuppe,Richard Potz "Law & Anthropology: International Yearbook for Legal Anthropology" pág. 116.
[46] ↑ Jorge Pavez O., compilador (2008). Cartas mapuche. Siglo XIX. Santiago: Libris & Ocho Libros, pp. 454-455. Colección de Documentos para la historia mapuche. Tomo II. Fuente: Álvaro Barros (1975) [1872]. Fronteras y territorios federales de las Pampas del Sur. Buenos Aires: Hachette, pp. 80-81. Colección El pasado argentino. Carta de Bernardo Namuncurá al coronel Álvaro Barros. Se decía que Quilapán, en 1869, podía enviar hasta 3.000 hombres a las Pampas y aun tendría 5.000 en lago Colico. Su aliado Renquecurá tenía 3.500 lanzas en Choele-Choel.
[47] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 297-299.
[48] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 300.
[49] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 300-303.
[50] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 305-306.
[51] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 306-310.
[52] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 313-314.
[53] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 315-321.
[54] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 323.
[55] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 324.
[56] ↑ René Kuppe,Richard Potz "Law & Anthropology: International Yearbook for Legal Anthropology" pág. 117.
[57] ↑ Bruce G. Trigger,Wilcomb E. Washburn...(varios autores)"The Cambridge history of the native peoples of the Americas, Volumen 3; Parte 2" pág. 774.
[58] ↑ Etapa de la emigración alemana en Chile. Archivado el 14 de abril de 2009 en Wayback Machine.: http://www.dcbliga.cl/cap4a.html
[59] ↑ Mario Cannobbio "Cronicón histórico: testimonios de la historia política, 1920-1994" pág. 111.
[61] ↑ La exactitud y desarrollo de los hechos son cuestionados por algunos historiadores chilenos como Ricardo Donoso en su libro "Alessandri, Agitador y Demoledor".
In the middle of the century the position of the Chilean population, compared to the still independent Mapuches, was not favorable. In the press of the time, opinions such as the following were expressed:
However, there were still those who opposed the occupation and subjugation of the natives, considering the idea of forcibly dispossessing them of their lands to be barbaric:
At the beginning of that century the main indigenous groups were:
• - Nagches or abajinos: They occupied the intermediate Depression[7] and were governed by Lorenzo Colipí in the north (Purén in Malleco) and Venancio Coñoepán in the south (Repocura") in Cholchol),[8] both fought for the patriots in the Chilean War of Independence[9] and supported him during most of the Pacification[10] but they were rivals among themselves for better treatment with the military and the domination of the Nagches.[11] Only when the army named the Coñoepán as its main allies did the Colipí rebel.[12].
• - Wenteches or Arribanos: They lived in the valleys of the Precordillera and at the beginning of the century they were governed by the chiefs Francisco Marilúan") and Juan Mangin Hueno.[10] They fought for the royalist side[13] and were bitter rivals of the Abajinos[14] (mainly with the Colipí[15] and to a lesser extent with the Coñoepán).[16] To stop the advance of the Chilean army they allied themselves with federal and liberal rebels, Pehuenches and Pampas.[17].
• - Pehuenches: They were Araucanized nomads the previous century who lived in the foothills of the mountain range between Chillán and Lonquimay.[18] They collaborated with the Pincheira brothers during the War to Death "War to Death (Chile)"), but after their defeat their participation in the wars was quite secondary.[19].
• - The tribes of the Lake Budi basin, dominated by the construction of the Toltén fort.[20].
• - The Boranos, allied with the natives of Cholchol and the Abajinos, did not participate in the wars against the Chilean army until the great rebellion of 1881.[21].
• - The locals of Huillío") on the banks of the Toltén River, were related to the previous ones (although they did not always coexist in peace).[22].
• - The Indians of Pitrufquén dedicated to trade with Valdivia "Valdivia (Chile)") and were related to those of Cholchol.[23].
• - Those of Quepe between Toltén and Temuco, allied with Coñoepán and participated in the rebellion of 1881.[24].
• - Those of Llaima occupied the region of Villarrica "Villarrica (Chile)"), they were divided into several independent chiefdoms although related to the wenteches.[25].
In addition, there were other minor groups under Chilean sovereignty since independence or a few years later: the Lafquenches or Costinos of the province of Arauco, the Huilliches of Valdivia "Valdivia (Chile)"), Llanquihue and San Juan de la Costa (near Osorno) and those of the Isla Grande de Chiloé. The first participated in the War to Death "War to Death (Chile)") and the rebellion of 1881; although in a minor way.[26] This lower participation in the case of the Huilliches of the continent was as a result of the acquisition of part of their ancestral lands in the colonial period prior to the independence of Chile; which was a product of the establishment of hacienda property in the area, which marked the beginning of the difference in the history of property in the Huilliche territory with respect to what happened in the Araucanía area. For this reason, the Republic of Chile was subsequently established, the colonization of Llanquihue, and the process of growth and expansion of the cities and towns settled in the ancestral Huilliche territory, would be the events that would lead to the current distribution of the Huilliche communities in the area; and which finally meant the decrease in the territories of the Huilliche communities and the cornering of their population towards the sectors of the coast and the mountain range.[27].
Regarding the number of inhabitants of the indigenous population of that time in autonomous territory, the population according to the report published by El Anuario Estadístico de Chile carried out between 1868 and 1869:[28][29].
Occupation
Cornelio Saavedra's occupation plan
The Chilean government made the decision to occupy Araucanía after the Frenchman Orélie Antoine de Tounens had invaded the area in 1861. Tounens subjugated and created the Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia and was elected regent by important loncos of the area, taking the name of King Orélie Antoine I; Faced with the invasion, the government decided to pacify the region of the tribes controlled by Tounens.
The authorities decided to apply the plan proposed by Army General Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez "Cornelio Saavedra (Chile)"). This plan included not only military actions, but also the penetration of the territories through the transfer of Chilean culture to the other side of the border. The aim was to found cities, build public works such as roads, telegraphs and create schools and hospitals. The conquered lands would be transferred to Chilean and European settlers at no cost to encourage demographic change in the area and develop wheat production.
First Mapuche conquests and resistance
In a short time, Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez was able to occupy the area up to the Malleco River, where he refounded the city of Angol and the Negrete fort.[30] Mulchén and Lebu, in 1862. Along the coastal territory, he managed to advance to the Toltén River. This first occupation was carried out with relatively little resistance, but then there was an uprising of the Mapuches who lived near the Malleco River, under the command of the lonco Quilapán. In the following year more than 1,500 soldiers were concentrated in Angol for operations in the Araucanian interior.[31].
In December 1867, 4,000 to 5,000 Mapuche warriors had gathered in the mountainous area of Chihuaihue, coming from Moquehua, Boroa and La Imperial "La Imperial (Chile)"). 3000 spears crossed the Nahuelbuta mountain range to the west of Angol and came out north of the Malleco River where they joined forces and achieved victories in Traiguén, Curaco and Perasco") thanks to their combination of malón with guerrilla tactics. However, other sources, such as Saavedra, considered that the Abajinos and Arribanos, even with the contingents from the pampas, did not exceed 4000 spears.[33][34] At the end of the year, the Spanish government, aware of the conflict, sent a merchant ship from the Philippines with provisions and several rifles to Mapuche territory, to help in the conflict.
New uprisings and consolidation of Chilean control
In January 1869, 1,500 Mapuches were defeated in Chihuaihue by General José Manuel Pinto. The Araucanians reorganized and attacked Angol. Given this situation, the Minister of War, Francisco Echaurren, marched with reinforcements to Cautín. On the coast, Colonel Saavedra occupied Cañete "Cañete (Chile)") and Tucapel, putting down the rebellion of 1,500 warriors in Purén. On September 25, the Mapuches and the army reached an agreement in Angol. The agreement did not last long as Quilapán rebelled again with 3,000 lances, being defeated on January 25, 1871 by an army of 2,500 soldiers in Collipulli. 1870-1871 was a fiasco because the Indians adapted and usually chose to withdraw and avoid frontal combat.[36] Criticism of the method used by the military led to the decrease in offensive operations and to opt to consolidate the conquests achieved, a large number of forts and towns were built on the coast of Arauco and in the valley of the Malleco-Traiguén river.[37] This brought relative calm to the region for the next ten years. years.[38].
Saavedra also organized several parliaments in order to prevent his main enemy, Quilapán, from joining forces with other ethnic groups. Thus, for example, when the chief attempted an alliance with the Abajinos and the Huilliches of the south of Cautín in order to gather more than 8,000 spears, Saavedra prevented him from doing so thanks to the parliaments of Toltén (December 24, 1869) with the Huilliches and of Ipinco (January 19, 1870) with the Abajinos.[39] In the end, Quilapán was left alone with the 2,500 spears that the Arribans were able to gather on their own.[40].
The outcome: the last Mapuche resistance
The War of the Pacific, which pitted Chile against Peru and Bolivia in the north of the country, meant that the forces of the Chilean army concentrated on this particular conflict, a situation that was taken advantage of by the Mapuches to launch new attacks on posts located in the border areas. According to the Chilean historian and anthropologist José Bengoa, this was the first time in their entire history that the very decentralized Mapuches united in a single insurrection.[41] This new uprising that occurred in 1880 resulted in losses for both sides. But, once the war that pitted Chile against Bolivia and Peru ended, the army trained by the government of Domingo Santa María vigorously resumed the campaign to incorporate Araucanía. Colonel Gregorio Urrutia was in charge of the annexation of the remaining territory.
In Chile, on January 27, 1881, 3,000 indigenous people attacked Traiguén, destroying the haciendas and livestock.[32] After their raids on Traiguén and the Lebuelmán fort were rejected, the Mapuches set out, adding more and more lances, to attack the Los Sauces fort, then they had about 1,500. Their assault failed and when they attacked the Malleco line that they believed unguarded they were massacred, with this the Chilean troops were able to continue their advance, they crossed the Cautín, and on February 24 they founded the fort of Temuco.[42] The aborigines responded by attacking two caravans, killing 100 people, in the hills of Ñielol, that same month.[43].
During the beginning of the month of November, the last indigenous uprising took place: some 6,000 to 7,000 Conas participated in the fighting, with more than a thousand being killed or wounded.[44] According to Horacio Lara), the Araucanian tribes at that time, already reduced in numbers by the constant war, could only mobilize 8,000 spears: 2,000 from the Arribanos, 2,000 from the Abajinos, 1000 of the Costinos and the rest Huilliches. However, thanks to skillful Chilean diplomacy, the tribes never acted as a single group.[45][46].
In the case of Lumaco, the attacks began on the 5th under the command of Luis Marileo Colipí with 300 to 1,000 spears. The fort was defended by 45 national guards and 20 soldiers led by Captain Juan Barra.[47] By the 15th the battle was over.[48] The forts of Budi and Toltén were besieged[49] while Nueva Imperial was destroyed on the 7th and the surviving inhabitants had to flee to the hills.[50] At the same time Tirúa was attacked without success and from there several expeditions were launched. punitive measures.[51] The Ñielol fort was attacked on November 9, the Mapuches were close to taking it but had to withdraw after suffering hundreds of casualties.[52].
However, the biggest confrontation occurred in the Battle of Temuco"), between November 3 and 10. The fort, led by Major Bonifacio Burgos"), withstood the onslaught of 4,000 warriors (some number twice as many)[43] under the command of chief Esteban Romero. The Mapuches withdrew after suffering more than 400 casualties.[53].
Consequences
The end of the Arauco War implied the total occupation of Araucanía to the effective sovereignty of the territory of Chile. In this way, the Chilean government finally carried out one of its main state projects, desired even since the time of the Spanish, who in the colonial period were unable to settle in Araucanía due to the resistance carried out by the indomitable Mapuches. With this, the Chilean government managed to conquer the Mapuche territory and thus unite the territory north of Biobío with the territories south of Valdivia "Valdivia (Chile)") that it had managed to conquer or colonize after the independence process.
After their defeat, the Mapuche were concentrated in "reductions", small reserves generally separated from each other by areas occupied by Chilean and European settlers. In 1929, there were 3,078 reserves comprised of 525,000 hectares that were considered a concession from the Chilean state and communal property for the indigenous people and were called "merced titles." and their social organization of clans and families generated internal conflicts among them. However, the Mapuche demonstrated a great capacity to adapt to this new situation.[57].
Later in the occupied territories, in a similar way to what was done in the Llanquihue area, colonization was also carried out in which lands were given to Chilean and European settlers, mainly Spanish, German, French, English, Italian and Swiss. In total, until 1901, 36,000 Europeans had arrived, 24,000 hired by the colonization agency and 12,000 who arrived by their own means.[58].
Later, only minor rebellions would occur, such as the one that occurred in 1934, in which 477 peasants and Mapuches (who had rebelled against what they considered abuses by the administrators of the sawmills installed in the recently opened Biobío region) were killed by the Chilean Carabineros in the so-called Ránquil massacre. Another 500 were taken prisoner and, according to the senator for Temuco Juan Pradenas Muñoz, only 23 were taken to the capital to be put on trial, with the rest presumably disappeared.[59][60][61].
However, despite the "pacification" carried out in the region, the events that occurred in this process would later lead to the current Mapuche conflict present in the area between the Chilean government and some Mapuche communities.
• - General Archive of Indigenous Affairs.
• - Conquest of the Desert (The conflict in the Argentine area).
• - Territorial expansion of Chile.
• - Genocide of Tierra del Fuego.
• - Arauco War.
• - Mapuche conflict.
• - Encina, Francisco Antonio, and Leopoldo Castedo (2006). History of Chile. Advent of liberalism. Volume VII. Santiago de Chile: Editorial Santiago. ISBN 956-8402-75-6.
• - Encina, Francisco Antonio, and Leopoldo Castedo (2006). History of Chile. The War of the Pacific. Volume VIII. Santiago de Chile: Editorial Santiago. ISBN 956-8402-76-4.
• - Villalobos, Sergio (1982). History of Chile. Volume 4. Santiago de Chile: University publishing house.
• - Interculturality and Health: Mapuche History during the Formation of the Nation State (map of the advance of La Frontera).
• - Video of the "Conquest of the Desert" in Something they must have done for Argentine history.
• - Video of the "Pacification of Araucanía" in Something they will have done for the history of Chile.
[28] ↑ Estanislao Severo Zeballos (1878). La conquista de quince mil leguas: estudio sobre la traslación de la frontera Sud de la república al Río Negro, dedicado á los jefes y oficiales del ejército expedicionario. Buenos Aires: Imprenta de P. E. Coni, pp. 380-381. Véase Edición digital del 2000 Archivado el 16 de abril de 2015 en Wayback Machine. (pp. 413-414).: http://www.perio.unlp.edu.ar/catedras/system/files/zeballos_estanislao_1878_la_conquista_de_quincemil_leguas_0.pdf
[29] ↑ Conrad Malte-Brun (1881). Nueva geografía universal. Tomo II. Barcelona: Montaner y Simon Editores, pp. 997 (cifras redondeadas de población); André Bresson (1997). Visión francesa del litoral boliviano, 1886. La Paz: Embajada de Francia en Bolivia, pp. 65 (de guerreros).
[34] ↑ Mella Seguel, Eduardo (2007). Los Mapuche Ante la Justicia: La Criminalización de la Protesta Indígena en Chile. Santiago de Chile: Lom Ediciones, pp. 37. ISBN 978-9-56282-905-2.
[35] ↑ Vitale, 2000: 35.
[36] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 240.
[37] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 249 y 251.
[38] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 249.
[39] ↑ Encina, Francisco Antonio (1950). Historia de Chile desde la prehistoria hasta 1891. Santiago de Chile: Nascimiento, pp. 559.
[40] ↑ Encina, 1950: 559.
[41] ↑ René Kuppe,Richard Potz "Law & Anthropology: International Yearbook for Legal Anthropology" pág. 116.
[46] ↑ Jorge Pavez O., compilador (2008). Cartas mapuche. Siglo XIX. Santiago: Libris & Ocho Libros, pp. 454-455. Colección de Documentos para la historia mapuche. Tomo II. Fuente: Álvaro Barros (1975) [1872]. Fronteras y territorios federales de las Pampas del Sur. Buenos Aires: Hachette, pp. 80-81. Colección El pasado argentino. Carta de Bernardo Namuncurá al coronel Álvaro Barros. Se decía que Quilapán, en 1869, podía enviar hasta 3.000 hombres a las Pampas y aun tendría 5.000 en lago Colico. Su aliado Renquecurá tenía 3.500 lanzas en Choele-Choel.
[47] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 297-299.
[48] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 300.
[49] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 300-303.
[50] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 305-306.
[51] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 306-310.
[52] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 313-314.
[53] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 315-321.
[54] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 323.
[55] ↑ Bengoa, 2000: 324.
[56] ↑ René Kuppe,Richard Potz "Law & Anthropology: International Yearbook for Legal Anthropology" pág. 117.
[57] ↑ Bruce G. Trigger,Wilcomb E. Washburn...(varios autores)"The Cambridge history of the native peoples of the Americas, Volumen 3; Parte 2" pág. 774.
[58] ↑ Etapa de la emigración alemana en Chile. Archivado el 14 de abril de 2009 en Wayback Machine.: http://www.dcbliga.cl/cap4a.html
[59] ↑ Mario Cannobbio "Cronicón histórico: testimonios de la historia política, 1920-1994" pág. 111.
[61] ↑ La exactitud y desarrollo de los hechos son cuestionados por algunos historiadores chilenos como Ricardo Donoso en su libro "Alessandri, Agitador y Demoledor".
In the middle of the month the fighting ceased and Chilean troops carried out several punitive operations to secure the region. In the summer of the following year the Pehuenches were definitively subdued.[54].
In his campaign, Urrutia erected various forts, reaching the area where Lake Villarrica is located and refounding the city of the same name "Villarrica (Chile)") on January 1, 1883. With this action the Arauco War as such was truly concluded, after more than three hundred years of conflicts.[55].
In the middle of the month the fighting ceased and Chilean troops carried out several punitive operations to secure the region. In the summer of the following year the Pehuenches were definitively subdued.[54].
In his campaign, Urrutia erected various forts, reaching the area where Lake Villarrica is located and refounding the city of the same name "Villarrica (Chile)") on January 1, 1883. With this action the Arauco War as such was truly concluded, after more than three hundred years of conflicts.[55].