Occupation of the Araucanía - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Occupation of Araucanía (1861–1883) was a series of military campaign

Military campaign

In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...

s, agreements

Diplomacy

Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...

and penetrations by the Chilean army

Chilean Army

The Chilean Army is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 45,000-person army is organized into seven divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade....

and settler

Settler

A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...

s which led to the incorporation of Araucanía into Chilean national territory. "The Pacification of Araucanía" was the expression used by the Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

an authorities for this process.

Background

The indigenous

Indigenous peoples

Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....

inhabitants of Araucanía, the Mapuche

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...

, had resisted for more than three hundred years Spanish

Spanish Empire

The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....

attempts at conquest known as 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...

. They had also previously defeated the Incas. Whilst their frontier with the Inca empire

Inca Empire

The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...

had been along the Maule River

Maule river

The Maule river is one of the most important rivers of Chile and is inextricably linked to this country's pre-Hispanic times, the country's conquest, colonial period, wars of Independence, modern history, agriculture , culture , religion, economy and politics...

, the Spaniards succeeded in establishing it at the Bío-Bío River

Bío-Bío River

The Biobío River is the second largest river in Chile. It originates from Icalma and Galletué lakes in the Andes and flows 380 km to the Gulf of Arauco on the Pacific Ocean....

. When the Arauco War faded in the 18th and 19th centuries, commercial relations began to grow and cultural and ethnic mixing

Mestizo

Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...

increased in the frontier territories. Ambrose O'Higgins and other Chilean authorities made agreements with several Mapuche chief

Tribal chief

A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...

s to end the hostilities on both sides. In parliaments held in late 18th century several Mapuche leaders accepted the Spanish king as the de jure

De jure

De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....

ruler of Araucanía but had their de facto autonomy recognised by the Spanish authorities.

In the 19th century the new Chilean Republic started a period of economic prosperity and successful wars

Chincha Islands War

The Chincha Islands War was a series of coastal and naval battles between Spain and its former colonies of Peru and Chile from 1864 to 1866, that began with Spain's seizure of the guano-rich Chincha Islands, part of a series of attempts by Isabel II of Spain to reassert her country's lost...

against Spain

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...

, Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

and Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

. Its politicians became attracted to taking action against the Mapuche as well, drawing comparisons with the Spanish failure in that field and because Mapuche tribes that were permanently pillaging

Malón

Malón or maloca was a military raiding tactic of the Mapuche peoples from the 17th to the 19th centuries.The "maloca" among the Mapuche is described as a means of obtaining justice, by Juan Ignacio Molina:...

the Argentine

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

countryside. The Chilean population

Demographics of Chile

This article is about the demographic features of Chile, including population density, ethnicity, economic status and other aspects of the population....

was growing fast, immigrants had already by the 1850s settled south of Araucanía in the surroundings of Valdivia, Osorno

Osorno, Chile

Osorno is a city and commune in southern Chile and capital of Osorno Province in the Los Lagos Region. It had a population of 145,475, as of the 2002 census...

and Llanquihue

Llanquihue

Llanquihue may refer to:*Lake Llanquihue, the second largest lake in Chile*Llanquihue Province, a province of Chile located in the southern Los Lagos Region*Llanquihue, Chile, a Chilean commune and city in Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region...

and even in the Strait of Magellan

Strait of Magellan

The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...

since 1843. The Araucanía territory was spliting Chile in two parts making transportation difficult and preventing Chile from achieving territorial continuity. As well as this, more arable land

Arable land

In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...

was desired for settlement. Thus Manuel Montt

Manuel Montt

Manuel Francisco Antonio Julián Montt Torres was a Chilean statesman and scholar. He was twice elected President of Chile between 1851 and 1861.-Biography:...

as President of Chile

President of Chile

The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...

in 1852 announced the province of Arauco

Arauco Province

Arauco Province is one of four provinces of the Chilean region of Biobío . It spans a coastal area of just south of the mouth of the Biobío River, the traditional demarcation between the nation's major natural regions, Zona Central and Zona Sur...

, intended to administer all territories south of the Bío-Bío and north of the Toltén River

Toltén River

Toltén River is a river located in the Araucanía Region of Chile. It rises at Villarrica Lake, close to the city of the same name. Its major tributary is Allipén River...

The plan

In 1860, under the then Chilean president José Joaquín Pérez Mascayano, the proclamation of "the Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia

Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia

The Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia was the name of a state and kingdom created in the 19th century by a French lawyer and adventurer named Orélie-Antoine de Tounens. Orélie-Antoine de Tounens claimed the regions of Araucanía and eastern Patagonia hence the name of kingdom...

" by a French lawyer became the pretext for the formal incorporation of Araucanía. Under a plan made by General Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez

Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez

Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez was a Chilean politician and military figure who played a major role in the Occupation of the Araucanía....

, the authorities pursued a mix of military and cultural penetration, including agreements with the local chiefs, the foundation of settlements and the construction of railroads

Rail transport

Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

, roads and other public infrastructure

Public infrastructure

Public infrastructure is a general term often qualified specifically as:* Aviation infrastructure - air traffic control technology in aviation* Critical infrastructure - assets required to sustain human life...

such as school

School

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

s and hospital

Hospital

A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....

Occupation

In 1862 General Saavedra advanced quickly to the Malleco River

Malleco River

Malleco River is a river in Malleco Province, Araucanía Region, southern Chile. It rises in the western slopes of the Andes, within the Tolhuaca National Park and near Tolhuaca Volcano. The river is a major tributary to the Bío-Bío River. The Malleco Viaduct built in 1890 is the main landmark of...

and there founded the town of Angol

Angol

Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Nahuelbuta Range and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the Bío-Bío River and Concepción. This strategic position explains...

, together with the forts of Mulchén

Mulchén

Mulchén is a city and commune in Biobío Province of Biobío Region, Chile. It was first settled in 1871 by soldiers during the so called Pacification of the Araucania. In 1875 Mulchén was officially founded....

and Lebu

Lebu, Chile

Lebu is a port city and commune in central Chile administered by the Municipality of Lebu. Lebu is also the capital of Arauco Province in Bío-Bío Region...

. From 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...

in the south, troops also advanced into the Toltén River

Toltén River

Toltén River is a river located in the Araucanía Region of Chile. It rises at Villarrica Lake, close to the city of the same name. Its major tributary is Allipén River...

area. This first phase of the occupation was carried out with little resistance, but soon afterwards the tribes near the Malleco River rose. Despite the nascent insurgency

Insurgency

An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority when those taking part in the rebellion are not recognized as belligerents...

, Purén

Purén

Purén is a city and commune in Malleco Province of Araucanía Region, Chile. It is located in the west base of the Nahuelbuta mountain range . The economical activity of Purén is based in forest exploitation and agriculture...

was founded in the densest Mapuche population centre in 1869, securing communication

Information technology

Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

s between Angol and the coast

Arauco Province

.

From 1871 to 1879, Basilio Urrutia was left in charge of the occupation, which had by then been consolidated up to the Malleco River. On the north side of that river the army had established a line defended by 2,500 soldiers and a telegraph between Angol and Collipulli

Collipulli

Collipulli is a city and commune forming part of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. Its name means "coloured lands" in the Mapuche language spoken in the area. It has a population of 22,354 and an area of...

.

In 1879 many of the troops in the south of Chile were moved to the north to fight Peru

Peru

and Bolivia

Bolivia

Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...

in the War of the Pacific

War of the Pacific

The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...

. In 1880, several Mapuche tribes took advantage of this to launch a series of largely unsuccessful attacks on Chilean forts.

After victory in the War of the Pacific, the government of Domingo Santa María

Domingo Santa María

Domingo Santa María González was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile between 1881 and 1886.-Early life:...

launched a final campaign to incorporate the heartland

Heartland

- Education :* Heartland Baptist Bible College, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma* Heartland Community College, in Illinois* Heartland Elementary School, public school, Kansas- Film :* Heartland , a 1979 film starring Rip Torn and Conchata Ferrell...

of the Mapuche into Chile. A colonel, Gregorio Urrutia, was chosen for this. The old Spanish town of Villarrica

Villarrica, Chile

Villarrica is a city and commune in southern Chile located on the western shore of Villarrica Lake in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region south of Santiago and close to the Villarrica Volcano ski center to the south east. Residents of Villarrica are known as Villarriquences.Tourism, grain and...

was refounded and forts set up at Carahue

Carahue

Carahue is a city and commune in southern Chile. It is located 56 km west of Temuco, on the northern bank of the Imperial River.The city was founded as La Imperial April 16, 1552 by Pedro de Valdivia....

, Lautaro

Lautaro, Chile

Lautaro is a city and commune of the Cautín Province in Chile's Araucanía Region. The area is named in honor of Lautaro, Mapuche leader during the War of Arauco.-Demographics:...

, Pillánlelbu, Temuco

Temuco

Temuco is a city and commune, capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The name comes from the Mapudungun language, meaning "temu water"; "temu" is a tree used by Mapuches for medicinal purposes. The city is located 670 km south of Santiago...

, Nueva Imperial

Nueva Imperial

Nueva Imperial is a city and commune in the south of Chile. It is located in Cautín Province in the Araucanía Region. Nueva Imperial lies about to the west of Temuco, the regional capital.-Geography:...

and Pucón

Pucón

Pucón is a Chilean city and commune administered by the municipality of Pucón located in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region, 100 km to the southeast of Temuco and 780 km to the south of Santiago....

. The tribes living close to these forts lost their territory, and about ten thousand Mapuche were killed in skirmishes with the army. Many of the survivors escaped to the Andes

Andes

The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...

where they joined with the Pehuenche

Pehuenche

Pehuenches are an indigenous people that are part of the Mapuche peoples and live in the Andes in south central Chile and Argentina. Their name derives from their habit of harvesting of piñones, the seeds of the Araucaria araucana or pehuén...

and other tribes which were in flight from Argentine territory to the east. Some indigenous remnants were placed into reservation

Reservation

Reservation may refer to:* Indian reservation, in the United States* Indian reserve, in Canada* Indigenous Territory, in Brazil* Reservation , a caveat to a treaty* Table reservation, for restaurant seating...

s and their land given to Chilean and foreign settlers.

Consequences

Araucanía was not fully pacified after the close of the military campaigns, and it remained insecure despite the efforts of the central government. Even now, some small radical Mapuche groups under the Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco

Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco

Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco or CAM, is a Mapuche organization dedicated to the revindication and recovery of former Mapuche lands. It was founded in 1998, in Tranaquepe, Chile, and is responsible for land occupation in the zones of Tirúa, Contulmo, Cañete and Temucuicui...

organization continue to pillage hacienda

Hacienda

Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...

s in what they consider to be part of the Mapuche ancestral territory. With the construction of the Malleco viaduct

Malleco Viaduct

The Malleco Viaduct is a railway bridge located in central Chile, passing over the Malleco River valley at the south entrance of Collipulli in the Araucania Region. It was opened by President José Manuel Balmaceda on October 26, 1890. At that time, it was the highest such bridge in the world...

in the 1890s, the region became more accessible and settlements in southern Chile became more consolidated. The last areas to be occupied were the heights of the Bío-Bío River and the coast near Budi Lake

Budi Lake

Budi Lake is a tidal brackish water lake located near the coast of Araucanía Region, southern Chile. The lake is part of the boundaries between Saavedra and Teodoro Schmidt commune....

. By 1929 the Chilean government had given nearly 5,000 hectare

Hectare

The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

s of land in more than three thousand plots

Land registration

Land registration generally describes systems by which matters concerning ownership, possession or other rights in land can be recorded to provide evidence of title, facilitate transactions and to prevent unlawful disposal...

to settlers in Araucanía. In 1934, 477 workers and Mapuches were killed during the Ranquil Massacre

Ranquil massacre

The Ranquil massacre was a massacre of forestry workers by the Chilean Army in the upper Bio-Bio River in 1934. The upper Bio-Bio region had recently been opened for Chilean and foreign settlers due to the occupation of the Araucania, and huge extensions of former Mapuche land were available...

in the upper Bio-Bio River

Bío-Bío River

The Biobío River is the second largest river in Chile. It originates from Icalma and Galletué lakes in the Andes and flows 380 km to the Gulf of Arauco on the Pacific Ocean....

.

The Army of Argentina

Military of Argentina

The Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, in Spanish Fuerzas Armadas de la República Argentina, are controlled by the Commander-in-Chief and a civilian Minister of Defense...

also led their own campaign of pacification in Patagonia

Patagonia

Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...

, "the Conquest of the Desert

Conquest of the Desert

The Conquest of the Desert was a military campaign directed mainly by General Julio Argentino Roca in the 1870s, which established Argentine dominance over Patagonia, which was inhabited by indigenous peoples...

", which led to the migration of Patagonian Mapuches to Chile. Mapuches were pushed by the Argentine Army through Mamuil Malal Pass

Mamuil Malal Pass

Mamuil Malal Pass is an international mountain pass in the Andes between Chile and Argentina. The pass connects Pucón and Curarrehue in Chile with Junín de los Andes in Argentina. The road is paved on the Argentinian side and passes just north of Lanín Volcano . During winter the pass may close...

into the valley of Curarrehue

Curarrehue

Curarrehue is a town and commune in Cautín Province of Araucanía Region, Chile. The origin of Curarrehue dates back to the occupation of Araucanía and the Conquest of the Desert by the Chilean and Argentine army respectively in the 1870s and 1880s when Mapuches were pushed by the Argentine Army...

were they settled. In Argentina, the remaining indigenous peoples perished. In Chile, the remaining Indian groups were forcibly assimilated

Cultural assimilation

Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...

into Chilean society.

The first units of Cuerpo de Carabineros

Carabineros de Chile

thumb|250px|Carabineros de Chile, patrolling a street in [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]]The Carabiniers of Chile, are the uniformed Chilean national police force and gendarmerie, created on April 27, 1927. Their mission is to maintain order and create public respect for the laws of the country...

, which in 1927 became Chile's national police and gendarmerie, were formed in 1903 to bring law and order to the Araucanía region.

Background

The plan

Occupation

Consequences

See also