The Curalaba Disaster or Battle of Curalaba it was a military confrontation between the Spanish colonizers in Chile and the Mapuches. The winners were the latter, who give it the name of the Victoria de Curalaba. The name is given by the place where the war took place.
This battle was framed within the War of Arauco, a conflict that pitted the Mapuches against the Spanish, first, and with the independent Chileans, later. The indigenous people occupied an important territory in the west of the country, aspired by the conquerors.
Despite their arms superiority, the Spanish were unable to subdue the Mapuche resistance. The Battle of Curalaba represented one of his most important defeats. Historically, it meant a change in Spanish tactics to conquer the territory.
On the military side, a column of the Spanish army was taken by surprise by the indigenous forces. All the Hispanic soldiers died, causing the Mapuches to have a free hand to destroy the cities that were further south..
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The Spanish came to present-day Chile with the purpose of conquering the lands and being able to take advantage of the wealth that was found there. In the same way, their objective was the conversion to Christianity of the inhabitants who found.
Both events caused clashes with the indigenous people of the area. Both the defense of their territory, as well as their customs and traditions, became the basis of the resistance they showed.
The Mapuches were one of the most hardened peoples that inhabited Chile. They had been forged in the fight against the Incas, who had also tried to conquer them. It is not surprising, then, that they were the protagonists of the greatest resistance against the Spaniards.
When they arrived in Araucanía, Valdivia and the rest of his companions thought that the conquest would be easy, as it had happened almost everywhere. Their technical superiority was overwhelming and they were convinced that it was going to be an easy victory..
The first incursions carried out by the Spanish ended with a favorable result for them. Thus, from 1550, they began to found several cities in the middle of the Mapuche territory. The most important, Concepción, La Imperial and Valdivia.
According to the sources of the time, the indigenous people received these settlements in a very negative way. It was the proof, in short, that the conquerors wanted to take over their lands.
The Spanish settlements also meant the development of economic activities on their part. Apart from cultivating the land, they began to extract minerals, such as gold. Those in charge of the toughest jobs were indigenous, who suffered abuse of all kinds by newcomers.
This, together with the usurpation of the territories, provoked the Mapuche reaction. Several groups met to elect a new leader, who in their culture was called toqui. The chosen one was Pelantaro, who ended up becoming a hero of the indigenous resistance.
As previously mentioned, the first Spanish campaigns involved the creation of several cities in the Mapuche lands. However, as early as 1553 they had to face an indigenous uprising. The leader of this uprising was Lautaro.
Lautaro had served under Valdivia, learning how to handle horses from the conquerors. His insurrection managed to defeat the Spanish in several battles, delaying the advance of his troops.
Finally, he was defeated in Mataquito and the indigenous chief was killed in the battle. Until 1561, the Mapuches were withdrawing, although the rebellions were constant.
At the gates of the seventeenth century, in 1597, the Spanish began to build a fort in Lumaco. In the winter of that year, a group of soldiers were sent to defend the newly erected construction. This force was defeated in 1598 and the fort destroyed by the Mapuche attack..
In December, the governor visited La Imperial. Óñez de Loyola, the leader's name, had made a tour of the other Hispanic towns, such as Valdivia and Osorno, to inspect them. In addition, he was trying to find volunteers for a campaign he wanted to carry out against the Mapuches..
Still in La Imperial, he received an indigenous messenger sent, supposedly, by the head of the city of Angol, another one dominated by the Spanish. The message stated that the Mapuches were about to attack them and were asking for help..
The governor rallied his men and, on December 21, set out to aid the besieged.
The contingent that accompanied Óñez de Loyola was made up of 150 soldiers, plus 300 auxiliary Indians. The area they had to cross to reach Angol was one of the most disputed in the entire area.
The road was not easy, since they had to cross several swampy areas used by the Mapuches for their ambushes. However, the governor blindly trusted the military superiority of his army.
After spending the first night near La Imperial, the troops headed the next day to the banks of the Lumaco River. It was a place surrounded by hills and difficult to defend.
Upon reaching an area called Curalaba, in front of the ruins of Fort Lumaco, Óñez de Loyola decided to spend the night before moving on..
Historians agree that the governor organized this parade very poorly. The horses were left to their own devices to feed and no one set up scouting patrols. The only precaution they took was to organize a lookout shift, which proved entirely insufficient.
Although it is an unconfirmed detail, there are those who affirm that the same messenger who brought the request for help from Angol, notified the Mapuche forces of the place where the Spanish were.
Be that as it may, the Indians organized an outpost of 399 men, ready to surprise the campers.
On the night of December 23, the attack took place. The Spanish did not have time to react and, according to the chronicles, they were barely able to fire a shot. The governor was killed in the first moments of the battle.
According to tradition, only two Spaniards survived. Pelantaro, who already had Pedro de Valdivia's skull, picked up Óñez de Loyola's as a trophy.
The disaster that led to defeat for the Spanish had consequences for the entire region. Curalaba was the beginning of the Mapuche rebellion of 1598, which led to the destruction of the cities south of the Biobío River. Only Castro survived the uprising.
The defeat of Curalaba, together with the subsequent rebellion, caused the Spanish to change their tactics against the Mapuches. The Crown divided its territory in Chile into two parts: the Captaincy General, in the north, and Chiloé (in the south). The northern area was bordered by the Biobío River, where the indigenous domains began.
Likewise, the disaster that occurred forced Felipe III of Spain to send a new officer to take charge of the war. It was Alonso de Ribera, who created a permanent army and delimited the border by building a line of fortifications.
The following years were characterized by incursions by both sides into enemy territory. Those made by the Mapuches were called Malones and those made by the Spanish, Malocas.
The captures of indigenous women by the Spaniards, as well as that of some Spaniards by the natives, made the miscegenation appear.
If for the Spanish, Curalaba was a disaster, for the natives it was a very important victory. The most direct consequence, apart from the recovery of territories, was the increase in cohesion between the different Mapuche groups.
This made them much better prepared for resistance against the conquerors. Not only did the Mapuches participate, but tribes that had remained neutral or even supported the Spanish, united against the invader..
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