Juan de Lebu facts for kids

Juan de Lebú was an important Mapuche leader, also known as a cacique or Ulmen. He came from the Lebu region in what is now Chile.

He was captured by the Spanish Empire sometime before 1568. The Spanish sent him far away to Peru and gave him the name Juan after baptizing him.

In 1568, Juan de Lebú returned to Chile with the new Spanish Governor, Melchor Bravo de Saravia. But when he had a chance, he escaped! He went back to his own people to help them fight against the Spanish.

Juan de Lebú had learned a lot about how the Europeans fought. Because of this, he became a close helper to another Mapuche leader, Paineñamcu (also known as Alonso Diaz). They worked together to plan attacks against the Spanish.

Capture and Execution

In 1578, during a war campaign led by Spanish Governor Rodrigo de Quiroga, the Mapuche tried to burn down a Spanish camp in Arauco.

In response, the Spanish launched a counter-attack. Juan de Lebú and seven other Mapuche leaders, called lonkos, were captured during this raid. To make an example of them, the Spanish decided to execute them.

See also

In Spanish: Juan de Lebu para niños