Parliament of Malloco facts for kids

The Parliament of Malloco was an important meeting held in January 1671. It took place in Malloco, a place southwest of Santiago, Chile. This meeting was between the Spanish governor, Juan Henríquez de Villalobos, and the leaders of the Mapuche people.

What Was Agreed?

One of the main agreements made at the Parliament of Malloco was about how the Mapuche communities would be watched over. Each Mapuche community, called a rehue, would have a Spaniard assigned to it. This Spaniard was called a capitán de amigos, which means "Captain of Friends." Their job was to make sure the Mapuche followed the agreement. They were also supposed to help "civilize" the Mapuche, meaning to make them live more like the Spanish.

These "Captains of Friends" were supervised by a higher official called the comisionado de las naciones, or "Commissioner of Nations." However, this part of the agreement caused many problems for decades to come.

Why It Caused Trouble

The idea of the "Captains of Friends" was meant to keep peace, but it often led to trouble. The Mapuche felt controlled, and the Spanish officials sometimes abused their power.

Soon after the agreement, in 1672, a former Mapuche leader named Ayllicuriche tried to start a rebellion. He and other Mapuche leaders wanted to resist these new rules. But his rebellion didn't get much support and was quickly stopped.

Later, in 1694, another Mapuche leader, Millalpal, and his people were encouraged to revolt. This happened because of bad actions by Antonio Pedreros, who was the "Commissioner of Nations" at the time. Another meeting, the Parliament of Choque-choque, was held by Governor Tomás Marín de Poveda, 1st Marquis of Cañada Hermosa. This meeting helped to end that rebellion.

The End of the 'Captains of Friends'

The problems and unfair actions of the "Captains of Friends" eventually led to a big uprising in 1723. This was the Mapuche Uprising of 1723, led by the Mapuche leader Vilumilla.

This major revolt finally ended with another important meeting, the Parliament of Negrete, in 1726. At this parliament, the role of the "Captains of Friends" was officially ended. This brought a close to a long period of conflict caused by this specific agreement.

Sources

• Pedro de Cordoba y Figueroa,HISTORIA DE CHILE 1492–1717, Coleccion de historiadores de Chile v.2 , Instituto Chileno de Cultura Hispánica, Academia Chilena de la Historia, Imprenta del Ferrocarril, Santiago, 1862 Libro Sesto, Cap. VIII, IX, X, XI
• José Toribio Medina, Diccionario biográfico colonial de Chile, Impr. Elziviriana, Santiago, 1906, Pj. 396–403.
• Diego Barros Arana, Historia jeneral de Chile, Tomo V 1656–1700, R. Jover, Santiago 1885. Original from the University of Michigan Digitized Aug 16, 2007.

See also

In Spanish: Parlamento de Malloco para niños