About 10,000 years ago, many migrating tribes settled along the coast of South America of what is now Chile. Among the many tribes that settled in Chile were the Mapuche, also known as the Araucanos, who managed to resist the Spanish conquistadors. The Spanish, led by Diego de Almagro, arrived in Chile from Peru to seek gold in 1536.[i] There, the Spanish explorers encountered large groups of indigenous people. Although the Europeans did not seek the gold they desired, they acknowledged the fertile lands of Chile, which were ideal for agriculture. Diego, a companion of Francisco Pizarro, attempted at colonization, but many indigenous people resisted the foreign invasion of the Europeans.[ii] During the second expedition, Pedro de Valdivia not only found the capital, Santiago, but also became the first governor of Chile. He forced the indigenous people to work in mines and fields despite the harsh conditions.[iii] The Spanish pushed the Indians to work in ranches, plantations, factories, and although these laborers worked through sweat and blood, the wages were barely enough for survival. Many people were in debt for life, and their children would later inherit the debts as well. Punishment was frequent and severe, and death often freed the people of tough labors.[iv] Supposedly there were rules to regulate slavery, but there was a discrepancy between theory and practice. Furthermore, religious privileges were denied to these indigenous people without outrageous pledges and paperwork.[v] Some may argue that the Spanish monarchy possibly had good intentions for the Indians, but because the empire was so large, many laws couldn’t have been enforced due to distant communication.[vi]
The nomadic, hunter-gathers of the Mapuche tribe were self-determined to live independently without the control of foreign powers. The Mapuche were strong and resistant against invaders. Before the arrival of the Spanish, during the invasion of the Inca Empire, the Mapuche defeated the Incans in the Battle of the Maule to secure the borders of their territory.[vii] The mighty Mapuche originally welcomed the Spanish conquistadors even when they began to settle in Chile. However, when Spain revealed their true intentions, the Araucanian War began. The Spanish had plans to expand their territory as well as take control of the economic system of Chile.[viii] Furthermore, Spain enslaved the Mapuche, invaded their land, raped their women, pillaged their communities, and forced inhumane treatment among the rebels who tried to resist Spanish control.[ix] The Mapuche initiated many wars to liberate prisoners and to destroy Santiago. The Spaniards lost both wars initiated by the Mapuche as they sacked the troops of Spain and killed Valdivia.[x] The Mapuche forced the Spanish into a treaty that would grant these indigenous people their independence, but the Spanish still tried to regain their dignity as they pillaged the villages of the Mapuche every so often. The random attacks initiated by the Spanish put the two cultures in a "permanent state of war". [xi] The Mapuche destroyed years of Spanish construction and influenced other local tribes to resist the Spanish invasion as well.
[i] Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Background Note: Chile. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1981.htm
[ii] Ibid
[iii] Hudson, Rex A. Chile: A Country Study. Washington D.C.: Federal Research Division, 1994.
[iv] Ibid
[v] Prago, Albert. The Revolutions in Spanish American. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1970.
[vi] Ibid
[vii] Ibid
[viii] Ibid
[ix] Ibid
[x] Ibid
[xi] Ibid
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