Battle of Peteroa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Peteroa
Part of Arauco War
Date June - July, 1556 Location Peteroa Result Spanish Victory
Belligerents
Spanish Empire	Mapuche
Commanders and leaders
Pedro de Villagra	vice toqui Lautaro
Strength
40 Spanish soldiers, 400 yanakuna	300 soldiers
Casualties and losses
Two Spaniards were killed	200 killed

The Battle of Peteroa was an important fight during the Arauco War in 1556. It happened in a flat area next to a river in the Mataquito River valley, known as Peteroa. This battle was between the Spanish soldiers, led by Pedro de Villagra, and the Mapuche people, led by their brave leader, toqui Lautaro.

A Time of Trouble

After the Spanish cities of Concepcion and Angol were destroyed in 1554, the Mapuche faced tough times. They suffered from a severe lack of food and a widespread sickness for two years.

Meanwhile, in the north, Lautaro's earlier victories inspired other groups. The Promaucaes people of Gualemo and the Picunche in the Aconcagua Valley, who had been under Spanish control, started to rebel. However, these uprisings were quickly put down by the Spanish.

In 1556, the Promaucaes sent a message to the Mapuche in Arauco. They promised to provide food and warriors to help fight the Spanish in Santiago.

Lautaro's March North

In May 1556, Lautaro led his Mapuche army north of the Bio Bio River. He hoped to start a bigger rebellion among the Mapuche who lived north of that river. He also wanted to inspire the Promaucaes, who lived north of the Itata River.

Lautaro began gathering more warriors from these groups. These people had been conquered by Pedro Valdivia years before. Now, they were encouraged to revolt because of Lautaro's past successes against the Spanish.

The Battle at Peteroa

Lautaro led his Mapuche forces further north towards Santiago. After crossing the Maule River, they set up camp near a place called Peteroa. This area is close to modern Teno.

However, when Lautaro entered the lands controlled by Santiago, he started to punish the Promaucaes who refused to join him. This caused a lot of damage, and many people fled their homes. Spanish settlers and Native American refugees escaped to Santiago for safety.

Lautaro's army first faced a small group of twenty Spanish horsemen led by Diego Cano. Lautaro won this first fight. After this victory, he built a strong dirt fort around his camp. He also flooded the land around it. This made it harder for the Spanish to attack.

Later, a larger Spanish force arrived from Santiago. This group was led by Pedro de Villagra. They fought Lautaro's army in and around the Peteroa fortress for several days. The Mapuche lost about 500 fighters, while only two Spaniards were killed. However, the Spanish could not capture the fort.

Because of the heavy losses and the arrival of more Spanish soldiers, Lautaro decided to retreat. He moved his army towards the Maule River. He planned to set up a new base there. But a Spanish cavalry group, led by Juan Godíñez, surprised and almost destroyed a part of Lautaro's army there. This made Lautaro move even further south, beyond the Itata River, to rebuild his strength.

See also

In Spanish: Batalla de Peteroa para niños