Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo
Encyclopedia
Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo (1523–1575) was a Spanish
conquistador
and chronicler of the early conquest and settlement of the Kingdom of Chile
, and the start of the Arauco War
.
, Andalucía, in 1523. He was the son of the regidor of the town, Juan Jiménez de Góngora Marmolejo and of Teresa Núñez de Tanfarva. In April of 1551 he came as a soldier to Santiago, Chile
and shortly after was transferred to Concepción
to join the expedition that Pedro de Valdivia
had prepared to continue his southern conquests. He attended the foundation of Valdivia
, where he lived and was regidor in 1555.
In 1557 he was transferred from Valdivia by sea to serve Don
García Hurtado de Mendoza who had just arrived as new Governor and was on Quiriquina Island
. Góngora participated in the campaign there and later was part of the garrison of the fort of Tucapel
and helped frustrate Caupolicán
's attack on the fort that resulted in his being captured and executed. Don Garcia made him an encomendero of Cañete and there he was also regidor in 1558 and 1559.
He was in Santiago, in June of 1561, when Francisco de Villagra
took provisional control of the government and it is probable that he accompanied Villagra in his southern campaigns. Prevailed on by Pedro de Villagra
, he returned to Valdivia where he carried out the position of Royal official. In 1571 he was corregidor of Villarrica
. In 1575 Rodrigo de Quiroga
named him judge investigator of the indigenous
wizards
, but by the end of that year he had died.
Góngora Marmolejo was the author of History of All the Things that Have happened in the Kingdom of Chile and of those who had governed it which roughly covers the period between the first Spanish incursions into the territory of Chile and the time of his own death (1536–1575). Góngora Marmolejo was many times an eyewitness of the events he chronicles or wrote about them based on the reports of others who had been present at the events from that time. His history tried to maintain an even-handed vision and has been considered by historians of the period as one of the better sources. Its text is interesting as the work of a soldier who in spite of being a man of culture, used a direct and simple style, and is believed to have been inspired by the publication of Alonso de Ercilla
's "La Araucana
".
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
and chronicler of the early conquest and settlement of the Kingdom of Chile
Kingdom of Chile
The General Captaincy of Chile or Gobernacion de Chile, was an administrative territory of the Viceroyalty of Peru in the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818, the year in which it declared itself independent, becoming the Republic of Chile...
, and the start of the Arauco War
Arauco War
The Arauco War was a conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people in what is now the Araucanía and Biobío regions of modern Chile...
.
Biography
Marmolejo was born in the town of CarmonaCarmona, Spain
Carmona is a town of south-western Spain, in the province of Seville; 33 km north-east of Seville.Carmona is built on a ridge overlooking the central plain of Andalusia, to the north is the Sierra Morena, to the south is the of peak of San Cristobal. The city is known for its thriving trade...
, Andalucía, in 1523. He was the son of the regidor of the town, Juan Jiménez de Góngora Marmolejo and of Teresa Núñez de Tanfarva. In April of 1551 he came as a soldier to Santiago, Chile
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
and shortly after was transferred to Concepción
Concepción, Chile
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
to join the expedition that Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
had prepared to continue his southern conquests. He attended the foundation of Valdivia
Valdivia, Chile
Valdivia is a city and commune in southern Chile administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla...
, where he lived and was regidor in 1555.
In 1557 he was transferred from Valdivia by sea to serve Don
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
García Hurtado de Mendoza who had just arrived as new Governor and was on Quiriquina Island
Quiriquina Island
Quiriquina Island, Chile is located at the entrance to the Bay of Concepción, 11 km north of Talcahuano.In April, 1557, Don Garcia de Mendoza, Spanish viceroy of the Kingdom of Chile, arrived at the harbor of Concepción, with a large force of infantry and established himself upon the island of...
. Góngora participated in the campaign there and later was part of the garrison of the fort of Tucapel
Tucapel
Tucapel is a town and commune in the Arauco Province, Biobío Region, Chile. It was once a region of Araucanía named for the Tucapel River. The name of the region derived from the rehue and aillarehue of the Moluche people of the area between the Lebu and the Lleulleu Rivers, who were famed for...
and helped frustrate Caupolicán
Caupolican
Caupolicán was a Toqui, the military leader of the Mapuche people of Chile, that commanded their army during the first Mapuche rising against the Spanish conquistadors from 1553 to 1558....
's attack on the fort that resulted in his being captured and executed. Don Garcia made him an encomendero of Cañete and there he was also regidor in 1558 and 1559.
He was in Santiago, in June of 1561, when Francisco de Villagra
Francisco de Villagra
Francisco de Villagra Velázquez was a Spanish conquistador, and three times governor of Chile.-Early life:Born at [Santervás de Campos], he was the son of Alvaro de Sarría and Ana Velázquez de Villagra, who were not married. For this reason he took the name of his mother...
took provisional control of the government and it is probable that he accompanied Villagra in his southern campaigns. Prevailed on by Pedro de Villagra
Pedro de Villagra
Pedro de Villagra y Martínez was a Spanish soldier who participated in the conquest of Chile, being appointed its Royal Governor between 1563 and 1565....
, he returned to Valdivia where he carried out the position of Royal official. In 1571 he was corregidor of Villarrica
Villarrica
Villarrica may refer to:*Villarrica, Paraguay - a city in Southern Paraguay*Villarrica, Colombia - a municipality in the Tolima department of Colombia*Villarrica, Chile - a city in Chile*Lake Villarrica - a lake in Chile...
. In 1575 Rodrigo de Quiroga
Rodrigo de Quiroga
Rodrigo de Quiroga López de Ulloa was a Spanish conquistador of Galician origin. He was twice the Royal Governor of Chile.-Early life:...
named him judge investigator of the indigenous
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
wizards
Machi (Shaman)
A machi is a traditional healer and religious leader in the Mapuche culture of Chile and Argentina. Machis play significant roles in Mapuche religion. Women are more commonly machis than men.-Description:...
, but by the end of that year he had died.
Góngora Marmolejo was the author of History of All the Things that Have happened in the Kingdom of Chile and of those who had governed it which roughly covers the period between the first Spanish incursions into the territory of Chile and the time of his own death (1536–1575). Góngora Marmolejo was many times an eyewitness of the events he chronicles or wrote about them based on the reports of others who had been present at the events from that time. His history tried to maintain an even-handed vision and has been considered by historians of the period as one of the better sources. Its text is interesting as the work of a soldier who in spite of being a man of culture, used a direct and simple style, and is believed to have been inspired by the publication of Alonso de Ercilla
Alonso de Ercilla
Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga was a Spanish nobleman, soldier and epic poet from the Basque Country. While in Chile he fought against the Araucanians, and there he began the epic poem La Araucana, considered the greatest Spanish historical poem. This heroic work in 37 cantos is divided into three...
's "La Araucana
La Araucana
La Araucana is an epic poem in Spanish about the Spanish conquest of Chile, by Alonso de Ercilla; it is also known in English as The Araucaniad...
".
See also
- History of ChileHistory of ChileThe territory of Chile has been populated since at least 2,000 BC. By the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors began to subdue and colonize the region of present-day Chile, and the territory became a colony from 1540 to 1818, when it gained independence from Spain...
- Pedro de ValdiviaPedro de ValdiviaPedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
- García Hurtado de MendozaGarcía Hurtado de Mendoza, Marquis of CañeteGarcía Hurtado de Mendoza y Manrique, 5th Marquis of Cañete was a Spanish soldier, governor of Chile, and viceroy of Peru...
- Jerónimo de VivarJerónimo de VivarJerónimo de Vivar was a Spanish historian of the early conquest and settlement of the Kingdom of Chile, and author of Crónica y relación copiosa y verdadera de los reinos de Chile....
- Pedro Mariño de LoberaPedro Mariño de LoberaPedro Mariño de Lobera was a Spanish conquistador and chronicler of the Arauco War in the Kingdom of Chile.-Biography:A professional soldier who served in the war between Spain and France, he went to the Americas in 1545. Mariño joined the forces of Pedro de La Gasca in Havana, Cuba, when he...
- Alonso de ErcillaAlonso de ErcillaAlonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga was a Spanish nobleman, soldier and epic poet from the Basque Country. While in Chile he fought against the Araucanians, and there he began the epic poem La Araucana, considered the greatest Spanish historical poem. This heroic work in 37 cantos is divided into three...
- Arauco WarArauco WarThe Arauco War was a conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people in what is now the Araucanía and Biobío regions of modern Chile...
- Mapuche peopleMapucheThe Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...