La Araucana facts for kids
La Araucana (also known as The Araucaniad) is a long poem from the 1500s. It was written in Spanish by Alonso de Ercilla. The poem tells the story of the Spanish Conquest of Chile. It was seen as the national epic poem of Chile and an important work from Spain's Golden Age.
Contents
The Poem's Story
How the Poem is Built
La Araucana has 37 parts, called cantos. It was published in three sections. The first part came out in 1569. The second part was released in 1578 along with the first. The final part, with all three sections, was published in 1589. Ercilla wrote the poem using a special eight-line style called octava real. This was a difficult way to write poems, with a tricky rhyme pattern.
What the Poem is About
The poem describes the beginning of the Arauco War. This was a long conflict where the Spanish tried to conquer southern Chile. This war greatly affected Chile's economy, politics, and daily life for many years. Ercilla wrote about the Spanish conquests in Chile because he was actually there. The story is based on his own experiences.
How it Was Written
Alonso de Ercilla wrote parts of the poem on scraps of paper during breaks in the fighting. He wrote about the war and his own role in it. Later, he put these parts together to create his epic poem. Many people in Chile see La Araucana as a story like the Iliad. It celebrates the bravery and pride of the legendary Araucanian leaders. These leaders are now seen as national heroes in Chile. Ercilla showed these native people as "noble savages." This idea came from old writers and became popular again during his time.
Who Influenced the Poem
La Araucana is a very literary work. It includes some fantasy elements, like old stories about knights. The person telling the story was also part of the events, which was new for Spanish writing back then. The poem was influenced by works like Orlando furioso. It also has long descriptions of the beautiful natural landscape.
La Araucana mixes characters and situations from old Greek and Roman stories with real events. It also includes people from the time, both Spanish and Araucanian. This mix might seem strange today. But it was common for writers then to make native people seem like ancient Greeks or Romans. Ercilla saw the Araucanians as noble and brave. He felt they only lacked the Christian faith.
Caupolicán, a brave Indian warrior and chief, is a main character in Ercilla's poem. His courage makes La Araucana grand. The poem also praises the defeated side: the Araucanians are the heroes, even though a Spaniard wrote the poem. Ercilla's description of Caupolicán makes La Araucana special. Ercilla, who was a poet and a soldier, becomes the true hero of his own poem. He gives the story its strength.
La Araucana is considered one of the first important literary works from the New World. Its dramatic moments also inspired many plays. Today, Ercilla and La Araucana are not widely known. But in Chile, the poem is studied in elementary schools as part of language and history lessons.
About the Author
Alonso de Ercilla was born into a noble family in Madrid, Spain. He worked for Prince Philip, who later became King Philip II of Spain. Ercilla then asked to join a military trip to Chile. His goal was to fight the Mapuche people, also known as Araucanians. He fought bravely in the battles. However, he had a fight with another soldier. In 1558, his general, García Hurtado de Mendoza, sentenced him to death. But the sentence was changed to prison time. Ercilla was soon set free and fought in the Battle of Quipeo in December 1558. After that, he was sent away to Peru. He returned to Spain in 1562.
Key Events in the Poem
The story begins when Pedro de Valdivia, the Spanish conqueror of Chile, is captured and killed by Mapuche (Araucanian) Indians. Ercilla believes Valdivia was to blame for his own death. He had treated the native people badly, even though they had agreed to Spanish rule before. This bad treatment made them rebel.
Ercilla felt sympathy for the Indians' suffering. He admired their courage in fighting back. He also criticized the Spanish for their cruelty. However, he remained loyal to Spain. He believed the Spanish cause was right because of the king's rule and the spread of Christianity.
Even though Ercilla wanted to praise the Spanish army, the Araucanian chiefs are the most memorable characters. These include the strong Caupolicán, the clever Lautaro, the old and wise Colocolo, and the proud Galvarino.
Important events in the poem include:
- The capture and death of Pedro de Valdivia.
- The death of the hero Lautaro in the Battle of Mataquito.
- The execution of Caupolicán, the Araucanian leader, after he was betrayed.
- An encounter with a sorcerer who takes the narrator on a flight to see events in Europe and the Middle East.
- A meeting with an Indian woman named Glaura. She is looking for her husband among the dead after a battle. This shows Ercilla's kind and human side towards the native people. The narrator says he tried to save the Indian chief's life.
Some historians, like Diego Barros Arana, have questioned if all the events and characters are real. For example, he believed the female character Janequeo was made up.
See also
In Spanish: La Araucana para niños
