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Disaster of Curalaba
The Disaster of Curalaba is the name given to a battle (or surprise attack) between Spanish conquerors led by Martin Garcia Onez de Loyola and Mapuche people led by Pelantaru on a place called Curalaba (which means broken stone in Mapudungun), in southern Chile. This event led to the end of the "Conquista" period in Chile's history.
On December 21, 1598, the governor, Martin Garcia Onez de Loyola, started to travel to Puren leading only 50 men. On the second day they camped in Curalaba, without taking measures of protection. The Mapuche people were aware of their presence, and, led by Pelantaru, they attacked in a surprise night raid. In complete shock, the governor and their few soldiers with him perished while trying to defend themselves.
This event was called the Disaster of Curalaba by the Spaniards. It involved not only the death of the Spanish governor, but also resulted in a general revolt that destroyed Spanish camps and towns south of the Bio-Bio River.
Sources
Carvallo y Goyeneche, Vicente, Descripcion Historico Geografia del Reino de Chile (Description Historical Geography of the Kingdom of Chile), University of Chile: Document Collections in complete texts: Cronicles (on line in Spanish) Primera parte. Tomo I; Capitulo LXXIX. Llega a Chile un refuerzo de tropa del Peru - Levanta el Gobernador una ciudad en la provincia de Cuyo - Visita el pais meridional de su gobernacion, i los indios le quitan la vida.
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Disaster of Curalaba
