Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo facts for kids

Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo (born 1523, died 1575) was a Spanish conquistador. This means he was an explorer and soldier who helped Spain conquer new lands. He wrote down the history of the early Spanish settlement of Chile. His writings also covered the beginning of the Arauco War, a long conflict between the Spanish and the Mapuche people.

His Life Story

Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo was born in 1523 in a town called Carmona in Andalucía, Spain. His father, Juan Jiménez de Góngora Marmolejo, was a "regidor," which was like a town council member.

In April 1551, Alonso came to Santiago, Chile, as a soldier. Soon after, he moved to Concepción. There, he joined an expedition led by Pedro de Valdivia. This group was exploring and conquering more lands to the south. Alonso helped found the city of Valdivia. He lived there and served as a "regidor" in 1555.

In 1557, Alonso traveled by sea from Valdivia. He went to serve Don García Hurtado de Mendoza. Don García had just arrived as the new Governor of Chile. Alonso took part in a military campaign on Quiriquina Island. Later, he was part of the soldiers protecting the fort at Tucapel. He helped stop an attack by the Mapuche leader Caupolicán. This led to Caupolicán being captured.

Don García made Alonso an "encomendero" in Cañete. An encomendero was someone given control over a group of native people and their land. Alonso was also a "regidor" in Cañete in 1558 and 1559.

In June 1561, Alonso was in Santiago. At this time, Francisco de Villagra took over the government temporarily. Alonso likely joined Villagra in his campaigns in the south. Later, he returned to Valdivia and worked as a royal official. In 1571, he became a "corregidor" in Villarrica. A corregidor was a local government official. In 1575, Rodrigo de Quiroga asked him to investigate Mapuche spiritual leaders. Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo died later that same year.

His Book

Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo wrote an important book. Its full title is History of All the Things that Have happened in the Kingdom of Chile and of those who had governed it. This book covers the period from 1536 to 1575. It describes the first Spanish trips into Chile up to the time of his death.

Alonso often saw the events he wrote about with his own eyes. For other events, he wrote based on reports from people who were there. His history tries to be fair and balanced. Historians today see it as one of the best sources of information from that time. It's interesting because it was written by a soldier. Even though he was educated, he used a clear and simple writing style. Many believe his book was inspired by another famous work, "La Araucana" by Alonso de Ercilla.

See also

In Spanish: Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo para niños