Mapuche uprising of 1655 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mapuche uprising of 1655 |
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| Part of the Arauco War | |||||||
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| Mapuche rebels |  Spanish Empire |
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The Mapuche uprising of 1655 was a major series of attacks by the Mapuche people against Spanish settlements and forts in what is now Chile. This event was one of the biggest challenges for the Spanish in many years. It even made some Spanish people worry about a civil war among themselves. This uprising marked the start of ten years of fighting between the Spanish and the Mapuche.
Contents
Background of the Uprising
The Parliament of Boroa
The Mapuche people were not happy with the agreement signed at the Parliament of Boroa on January 24, 1651. Most of the terms in this agreement favored the Spanish. For example, the Mapuche were not allowed to carry weapons unless the Spanish asked them to.
Just two months later, this peace was broken. A new conflict started between the Spanish and the Cunco, a group related to the Mapuche. Spanish religious leaders warned the Governor of Chile, Antonio de Acuña Cabrera, that fighting the Cuncos would ruin the peace made at Boroa. The Spanish sent small groups to punish the Cuncos. However, they found that other native groups who had promised to help them in war refused to join.
Conflict with the Cunco People
The Cuncos, who lived in the southern part of Mapuche territory, had a long history of fighting the Spanish. They had even forced the Spanish to leave the city of Osorno in 1602. The Cuncos were not part of the Parliament of Boroa agreement.
In March 1651, a Spanish ship carrying important supplies and money for soldiers crashed in Cunco lands during a storm. The Cuncos took the supplies. The Spanish sent two groups to get the supplies back. One group from Valdivia went south but found the native people unhelpful and misleading. They ran out of food and had to return. Another group from Carelmapu went north. They met some local people who handed over three suspects, who were then killed. The Spanish never got their supplies back. The Spanish military was very unhappy with these results.
Spanish Slave Hunting
Even though the Spanish King had generally banned the enslavement of native people, things changed after the Mapuche uprising of 1598–1604. This uprising led to the Destruction of the Seven Cities. Because of this, in 1608, the Spanish made it legal to enslave Mapuches captured in war. Mapuche "rebels" were seen as having left their Christian faith, so they could be enslaved according to the church rules at the time.
In reality, Mapuche slavery was already happening. These new laws just made it official. Captured Mapuches were bought and sold like property among the Spanish. This made Spanish slave raids much more common during the Arauco War.
The 1655 uprising happened because the Spanish were increasingly hostile. A military leader named Juan de Salazar used the Spanish army to capture Mapuches and sell them as slaves. In 1654, a large slave-hunting trip ended in a big defeat for the Spanish at the Battle of Río Bueno. This loss did not stop Salazar. He organized a new slave-hunting trip in the summer of 1655. Salazar himself made a lot of money from the Mapuche slave trade. He was also the brother-in-law of Governor Antonio de Acuña Cabrera, which gave him influence to push for his military campaigns.
As the 1655 slave-hunting trip was being prepared, some native allies of the Spanish started to feel uneasy. Governor Acuña Cabrera was told by his wife that these were just rumors spread by soldiers who were jealous of her brother. Historian Juan Ignacio Molina mentions a Mapuche leader named Clentaru as the main leader of the Mapuche forces.
The Uprising Begins
Events of 1655
Juan de Salazar began his campaign on February 6 from the Spanish fort of Nacimiento. His army had between 400 and 700 Spanish soldiers and many more native allies, totaling about 2000 to 2400 men. Like the year before, this trip was not aimed at the Mapuche near the border. Instead, it targeted the Cuncos who lived south of the Bueno River.
On the morning of February 14, Mapuches across southern Chile launched attacks. They targeted Spanish farms, forts, and individuals. Mapuche slaves rose up against their owners. Men were killed, while women and children were taken as captives. Livestock was stolen, and houses were burned. Spanish forts were surrounded. The Spanish reported that over 400 farms between the Bío Bío and Maule rivers were destroyed. Amidst the chaos, some Mapuche attackers even entered the city of Concepción, getting close to the main square. The Mapuches managed to cut off Concepción from other Spanish areas but did not fully surround it.
The cities of Arauco and Chillán were surrounded. Chillán was eventually abandoned by the Spanish. Spanish officials in Santiago criticized this evacuation, calling it an act of cowardice. They told the refugees from Chillán not to go north beyond the Maule River. This was meant to make them return and resettle the lands they had fled. Also, a smallpox sickness broke out among the refugees, which was another reason to limit their movement.
Evacuation of Buena Esperanza and Nacimiento
Governor Acuña Cabrera ordered the evacuation of Buena Esperanza. This decision was later criticized because Buena Esperanza was in a good position to be defended. José de Salazar, Juan's brother, was in charge of the fort at Nacimiento. He decided to leave the fort to avoid a long siege. The soldiers left by boats and rafts down the Bío Bío River, hoping to reach Buena Esperanza. However, they soon learned that Buena Esperanza had also been evacuated. They then planned to fortify themselves at San Rosendo, an abandoned fort.
About 4,000 hostile Mapuches followed the Spanish boats and rafts along both sides of the river. The Spanish group ran aground near Santa Juana. All 240 Spanish soldiers were then killed.
The Army Returns to Concepción
Juan de Salazar, whose forces made up most of the Spanish army, learned about these events when he was near Mariquina, far south of the main uprising. Instead of returning north by land, he went south to Valdivia. From there, he and 360 men sailed to Concepción. This was possible because two ships were in the harbor, bringing money and supplies for the soldiers building the Valdivian Fort System. The remaining forces, 340 Spanish and 1700 native allies, stayed to strengthen Spanish positions around Valdivia. However, the native allies soon left and went home. The reinforcements in Valdivia were still enough to fight off attacks by the Cuncos.
The arrival of Juan de Salazar's remaining army by sea in Concepción allowed another Spanish leader, Fernández de Rebolledo, to send 200 men by sea to evacuate Arauco. After this, De Rebolledo went on to defeat Mapuches near Concepción.
Help from Peru
When the new Viceroy of Peru, Luis Enríquez de Guzmán, heard about the situation in Chile, he sent a ship with food, weapons, and ammunition to Chile.
Events of 1656
More ships from Peru arrived around the new year, bringing more food, weapons, ammunition, and 376 soldiers. The new governor, Pedro Porter Casanate, arrived with these reinforcements and took office on January 1, 1656.
Governor Porter managed to get Spanish troops from Santiago to guard the area around the Itata River. This allowed him to use the army at Concepción to defeat local Mapuches at San Fabián de Conuco on January 20, 1656. In February 1656, Porter sent an army of 700 foot soldiers and some cavalry to Boroa, where a Spanish fort had been surrounded for ten months. The expedition easily fought off Mapuche attacks and rescued the Spanish soldiers at Boroa.
In 1656, the Mapuches on Santa María Island captured a ship and five Spanish crew members who had anchored there.
Alejo's Raids
As peace slowly returned to the damaged lands between the Bío Bío and Maule rivers, a leader named Alejo began his raids in the winter of 1656. Alejo had previously served as a soldier for the Spanish. However, he was upset because he was a mestizo (of mixed Spanish and native heritage) and was not allowed to rise through the ranks.
Leading about 1000 warriors, Alejo destroyed a Spanish group of 200 men who were on their way to reinforce the fort of Conuco. A few men were spared for prisoner exchanges or for religious ceremonies. Alejo's military successes were sometimes limited because he tended to have loud celebrations after each victory, which wasted valuable time.
The Pehuenche people, another native group, crossed the Andes mountains near the Maule River. They took captives and stole livestock. It is believed that this attack might have been coordinated by Alejo. Overall, Alejo's campaigns killed or captured 400 Spaniards.
Conflict Among Spanish Leaders
On February 20, a local council in Concepción declared that Acuña Cabrera was no longer governor. However, Acuña Cabrera went into hiding. Jesuit priests, who hid him, then convinced Acuña Cabrera to write a letter of resignation. Other important Spanish figures who were disliked also went into hiding, including a brother of Salazar who was a priest, and a judge named Juan de la Huerta Gutiérrez.
The choice for a new governor in Concepción came down to two military men: Juan Fernández de Rebolledo and Francisco de la Fuente Villalobos. De la Fuente Villalobos was chosen. However, days later, the main court in Santiago (the Audiencia) said that removing Acuña y Cabrera was against the law. Local leaders were not supposed to remove governors chosen by the King of Spain. Meanwhile, De la Fuente Villalobos's policy of trying to make peace with the Mapuche rebels and negotiate with them faced strong opposition from other military commanders.
Because he had the support of the Audiencia, Acuña Cabrera appeared in public in mid-March, acting as governor again. He appointed Fernández de Rebolledo to lead the army. De la Fuente Villalobos did not recognize Fernández de Rebolledo's authority, but there were no fights between the military groups under their commands.
The Viceroy of Peru learned about these conflicts and decided to remove Acuña Cabrera. Acuña Cabrera refused to accept his dismissal, believing that only the King of Spain could remove him. The viceroy appointed Pedro Porter Casanate as the new governor of Chile. He sent Porter ahead of 376 soldiers. These soldiers were meant to help fight the uprising and also to stop any opposition to Porter's governorship. Porter was joined by Álvaro de Ibarra, who was sent to investigate the events and find out who was responsible for the political problems.
