Battle of Angol facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Angol
Part of the Arauco War
Date March 25, 1564 Location Vicinity of Los Infantes, Chile Result Spanish Victory
Belligerents
Spanish Empire	Mapuche
Commanders and leaders
Lorenzo Bernal del Mercado	Illangulién  †
Strength
60 Spanish soldiers (including 12 arqubusiers and a field gun) 500 Indian auxiliaries	4,000 warriors
Casualties and losses
No dead, many wounded	1,000 killed, many more wounded and many captured

The Battle of Angol was an important fight between the Mapuche people and the Spanish Empire. It happened on March 25, 1564, as part of the long Arauco War in what is now Chile. The battle took place near a Spanish settlement called Los Infantes.

What Happened at the Battle of Angol?

Mapuche Fort and Spanish Plans

Near the Spanish town of Los Infantes, the Mapuche rebels had built a pukara, which was a type of fort. This fort was blocking the city. The Mapuche leader, called a toqui, was named Illangulién. He had placed his troops in a very strong position within a marsh, which was hard to attack.

Captain Lorenzo Bernal del Mercado, who led the Spanish forces, sent out scouts to check the Mapuche positions. He saw that the marsh position was too difficult to attack directly, so he decided to wait.

Changing Positions and the Attack

After a while, Toqui Illangulién's troops moved to a new spot, closer to Angol. Captain Bernal sent out more scouts to see this new position. He found that this spot was also very strong and hard to attack. So, he pulled back his troops again.

The Mapuche felt very confident after this. They believed they were about to defeat Angol. A smaller group of Mapuche warriors moved to a third position, even closer to Los Infantes. They were waiting for more fighters to join them from their main army.

Captain Bernal saw that this third position was dangerously close to the Spanish town. He decided to attack quickly before the rest of the Mapuche army arrived.

The Battle and Its Outcome

The Spanish soldiers attacked the Mapuche at their third position. They managed to drive the Mapuche out of their fort. The Spanish chased them all the way to a nearby river. The Mapuche warriors became trapped against the river.

During this fight, about 1,000 Mapuche warriors were killed. This included their leader, Toqui Illangulién. Many more Mapuche were wounded or captured. When the news of this defeat reached the main Mapuche army that was on its way to attack Angol, they decided to turn back and scattered. This battle was a victory for the Spanish.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Angol para niños