Tucapel
Encyclopedia
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 River
s, who were famed for their long resistance to the Spanish
in the Arauco War
. Tucapel is also the name of a famous leader from that region in the first resistance against the Spanish mentioned in Alonso de Ercilla
's epic poem La Araucana
.
in 1552 on a hill in the valley of the Tucapel River at the present location of the city of Cañete. Near here, the conqueror died after being surprised and defeated at the Battle of Tucapel
by Lautaro
, after he had arrived to relieve the fortress, which Lautaro had already destroyed before December 25, 1553.
In 1557, the fortress and the later city of Cañete de la Frontera were later rebuilt by García Hurtado de Mendoza three kilometers to the west of the present location of the city and resisted an attack by Toqui Caupolicán
. It was abandoned again in January of 1563 during the second Mapuche uprising. Later it was rebuilt by Rodrigo de Quiroga
in 1566. It was finally abandoned after the Battle of Curalaba in the Mapuche Uprising of 1598. The present city of Cañete was founded on November 12, 1868 by colonel Cornelio Saavedra Rodriguez
as part of the pacification of Araucanía.
In 1603 a new fort Tucapel was established on the site of the Valdivia's old fort by Alonso de Ribera
as part of his system of frontier forts
. It received improvements in 1668 under the governor Diego Dávila Coello, who populated it, making it a mission site and named it Plaza de San Diego de Tucapel. This place was the target of repeated attacks by the Mapuche and was captured by Vilumilla
in Mapuche Uprising of 1723. It was abandoned and demolished by Gabriel Cano de Aponte
in 1724 and he transferred its garrison and inhabitants to the bank of the Laja River
near the Andes
where a new Plaza de San Diego de Tucapel was built and later a town of Tucapel
has established.
of the National Statistics Institute
, Tucapel spans an area of 914.9 sqkm and has 12,777 inhabitants (6,403 men and 6,374 women). Of these, 8,827 (69.1%) lived in urban area
s and 3,950 (30.9%) in rural areas. The population grew by 6.3% (757 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
, headed by an alcalde
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Jaime Sergio Veloso Jara (RN
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Tucapel is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
by Juan Lobos (UDI) and José Pérez (PRSD
) as part of the 47th electoral district, (together with Los Ángeles
, Antuco, Quilleco
, Santa Bárbara
, Quilaco
, Mulchén
, Negrete
, Nacimiento
, San Rosendo
, Laja
and Alto Biobío
). The commune is represented in the Senate
by Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz -Esquide Jara (PDC
) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Coast).
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...
, Biobío Region, 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...
. It was once a region of Araucanía named for the Tucapel River
Tucapel River
Tucapel River is a river of the Bío-Bío Region of Chile....
. The name of the region derived from the rehue
Rehue
Rehue or rewe is the sacred altar used by the Mapuche of Chile in many of their ceremonies.- Alter :It is a tree trunk set in the ground and surrounded by canes of colihue located in row and adorned with white, blue or yellow flags and branches of coihues, maitén, lengas and other trees of the area...
and aillarehue
Aillarehue
Aillarehue or Ayllarehue Aillarehue or Ayllarehue Aillarehue or Ayllarehue (from the (mapudungun: ayllarewe/ayjarewe: " nine rehues"); a confederation of rehues or familiar clans (lof) that dominated a region or province. It was the old administrative and territorial division of the Mapuche,...
of the Moluche
Moluche
Moluche or Nguluche is a dialect of the Mapuche language Mapudungun that is also the ethnic description of the Mapuche peoples speaking that language. At the beginning of the Conquest of Chile by the Spanish Empire the Moluche lived in what came to be known as Araucanía...
people of the area between the Lebu
Lebu River
Lebu River an important river of the Arauco Province. It has his sources in the western slope of the Nahuelbuta Range to the east of the city and port of Lebu, captital of the province and named for the river....
and the Lleulleu River
Lleulleu River
Lleulleu River is a river of the Bío-Bío Region of Chile....
s, who were famed for their long resistance to the 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....
in 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...
. Tucapel is also the name of a famous leader from that region in the first resistance against the Spanish mentioned in 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 epic poem 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...
.
History
The fortress of San Diego de Alcalá de Tucapel was founded by Pedro de ValdiviaPedro 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...
in 1552 on a hill in the valley of the Tucapel River at the present location of the city of Cañete. Near here, the conqueror died after being surprised and defeated at the Battle of Tucapel
Battle of Tucapel
The Battle of Tucapel is the name given to a battle fought between Spanish conquistador forces led by Pedro de Valdivia and Mapuche Indians under Lautaro that took place at Tucapel, Chile on December 25, 1553...
by Lautaro
Lautaro
Lautaro was a Mapuche military leader and protagonist of the War of Arauco in Chile. He defeated and exterminated the Spanish forces of Governor Pedro de Valdivia and was almost able to expel them from the area when he was killed in battle.-Early life:...
, after he had arrived to relieve the fortress, which Lautaro had already destroyed before December 25, 1553.
In 1557, the fortress and the later city of Cañete de la Frontera were later rebuilt by García Hurtado de Mendoza three kilometers to the west of the present location of the city and resisted an attack by Toqui 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....
. It was abandoned again in January of 1563 during the second Mapuche uprising. Later it was rebuilt by 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:...
in 1566. It was finally abandoned after the Battle of Curalaba in the Mapuche Uprising of 1598. The present city of Cañete was founded on November 12, 1868 by colonel Cornelio Saavedra Rodriguez
Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez
Cornelio Saavedra Rodríguez was a Chilean politician and military figure who played a major role in the Occupation of the Araucanía....
as part of the pacification of Araucanía.
In 1603 a new fort Tucapel was established on the site of the Valdivia's old fort by Alonso de Ribera
Alonso de Ribera
Alonso de Ribera de Pareja was a Spanish soldier and twice Spanish royal governor of Chile .-Early life:...
as part of his system of frontier forts
La Frontera (geographical region)
La Frontera is name given to a geographical region in Chile, between the Bío-Bío and Toltén Rivers, now part of the administrative regions of Bío-Bío and Araucanía...
. It received improvements in 1668 under the governor Diego Dávila Coello, who populated it, making it a mission site and named it Plaza de San Diego de Tucapel. This place was the target of repeated attacks by the Mapuche and was captured by Vilumilla
Vilumilla
Vilumilla was the Mapuche Toqui elected in 1722 to lead the Mapuche Uprising of 1723 against the Spanish for their violation of the peace.The Mapuche resented the Spanish intruding into their territory and building forts, and also the insolence of those officials called capitan de amigos ,...
in Mapuche Uprising of 1723. It was abandoned and demolished by Gabriel Cano de Aponte
Gabriel Cano de Aponte
Gabriel Cano de Aponte was a Spanish soldier who served as Royal Governor of Chile from 1717 to 1733. His administration was the longest of all Colonial Governors and the second longest in the history of Chile after the administration of General Augusto Pinochet, who surpassed him by some eight...
in 1724 and he transferred its garrison and inhabitants to the bank of the Laja River
Laja River
There are two notable rivers called Laja River :* Laja River in Guanajuato, central Mexico* Laja River in Chile...
near 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 a new Plaza de San Diego de Tucapel was built and later a town of Tucapel
Tucapel(commune)
Tucapel is a town and commune of Chile, located in the Biobío Province of the VIII Biobío Region. Formerly belonging to the Nuble Province, in the Department of Yungay. Near the town of Tucapel is the Plaza de San Diego de Tucapel. The capital of the commune is the town of Huépil, moving the...
has established.
Demographics
According to the 2002 censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of the National Statistics Institute
National Statistics Institute (Chile)
The National Statistics Institute of Chile is a state-run organization of the Government of Chile, created in the second half of the 19th century and tasked with performing a general census of population and housing, then collecting, producing and publishing official demographic statistics of...
, Tucapel spans an area of 914.9 sqkm and has 12,777 inhabitants (6,403 men and 6,374 women). Of these, 8,827 (69.1%) lived in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s and 3,950 (30.9%) in rural areas. The population grew by 6.3% (757 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses.
Administration
As a commune, Tucapel is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal councilMunicipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
, headed by an alcalde
Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
who is directly elected every four years. The 2008-2012 alcalde is Jaime Sergio Veloso Jara (RN
National Renewal (Chile)
National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
).
Within the electoral divisions of Chile, Tucapel is represented in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile is the lower house of Chile's bicameral Congress. Its organisation and its powers and duties are defined in articles 42 to 59 of Chile's current constitution....
by Juan Lobos (UDI) and José Pérez (PRSD
Social Democrat Radical Party
The Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
) as part of the 47th electoral district, (together with Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Antuco, Quilleco
Quilleco
Quilleco is a Chilean town and commune located in the Biobío Province, Biobío Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Quilleco spans an area of and has 10,428 inhabitants . Of these, 5,486 lived in urban areas and 4,942 in rural areas...
, Santa Bárbara
Santa Bárbara, Chile
Santa Bárbara is a Chilean city and commune in Biobío Province, Biobío Region. In 2004 a great portion of its territory was taken off to form the new commune of Alto Biobío.-History:...
, Quilaco
Quilaco
Quilaco is a Chilean town and commune located in the Biobío Province, Biobío Region. The commune spans an area of .-History:Quilaco has two accepted meanings: "Three waters" or "Quila in the water". The town has its roots in the Mapuche and Spanish races, as produced with the arrival of Franciscan...
, 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....
, Negrete
Negrete
Negrete is a Chilean town and commune in Biobío Province, Biobío Region. It is bordered by the commune of Los Ángeles to the north, Renaico to the south, Mulchén to the east and Nacimiento to the west....
, Nacimiento
Nacimiento, Chile
Nacimiento is a Chilean city situated in the Biobío Province, Biobío Region, south of Santiago, and from the closest major city in the region, Concepción....
, San Rosendo
San Rosendo
San Rosendo is a Chilean city and commune in Biobío Province, Biobío Region.The city of San Rosendo lies on the gentle slopes of a hill overlooking the confluence of the rivers Biobío and Laja, which respectively bound the city to the west and south...
, Laja
Laja
Laja is a location in the La Paz Department in Bolivia. It is the seat of the Laja Municipality, the second municipal section of the Los Andes Province.- References :*...
and Alto Biobío
Alto Biobío
Alto Biobío is a Chilean commune located in the Biobío Province, Biobío Region. The commune spans an area of .-History:The commune was created 25 August 2003, separating the southeast portion from the existing Santa Bárbara commune.-Demographics:...
). The commune is represented in the Senate
Senate of Chile
The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile.-Composition:...
by Victor Pérez Varela (UDI) and Mariano Ruiz -Esquide Jara (PDC
Christian Democratic Party
Christian democratic parties are those political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social teaching, and it continues to be influential in Europe and...
) as part of the 13th senatorial constituency (Biobío-Coast).