OCCUPATION OF THE ARAUCANÍA: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES - HISTORY - 2024

The Occupation of Araucanía, also known as Pacification of Araucanía, was a warlike conflict that occurred in the southern part of Chile. This was occupied, mainly, by the Mapuches and the Pehuenches. It is estimated that around 100,000 natives resided there.

There are two versions of this occupation that took place between 1861 and 1883. Some authors describe it as a peaceful process, in which both parties reached agreements to integrate the area into the country. Others, on the other hand, point out that it was an authentic war of conquest and that it produced the acculturation of the indigenous people.

The area in which the conflict took place is located between the Biobío rivers to the north and Toltén to the south. Unlike the rest of the Chilean territory, the indigenous people had always maintained a certain independence with respect to the central authorities, producing several revolts during the 19th century.

The relationship between the Mapuches and the Chilean government worsened when a coup leader took refuge in their area and joined forces with the indigenous people to take up arms. What ended up deciding the government to intervene in the area was the appearance of a Frenchman who tried to create a kingdom in the area.

Background

At the time of the Occupation, it is estimated that more than 100,000 indigenous people resided in the area. The most numerous peoples were the Mapuche and the Pehuenche, both with a great cultural tradition.

La Araucanía was one of the territories that offered the most resistance to the Spanish conquest. In fact, it maintained its rebellion since the War of Arauco against the conquerors.

Despite their inferiority in arms, they maintained a certain independence since then, without anyone being able to completely defeat them.

After independence

When Chile achieved its independence, already during the republican era, there was an attempt to negotiate between the central government and the Mapuches living south of the Biobío River.

The objective of these conversations was to reach an agreement on the relationship between the republic and the indigenous people. As a result of them, the Parliament of Tapihue was held.

However, some subsequent events caused the Chilean government to send troops to the border area.

Later, when the 1851 Revolution broke out, the coup leader enlisted the support of several Mapuche chiefs to fight against the government. The insurrection was defeated, but the indigenous caciques did not want to surrender.

Instead, they backed up to the border accompanied by rebel soldiers. There, many engaged in looting for 4 years. To end these bandits, the army sent another battalion to that area, staying there until January 1856.

When the Revolution of 1859 arrived, the indigenous people sided with the liberals who led the rebellion, increasing tensions with the central government.

Problems with the settlers

The indigenous people were faced with an added problem apart from their conflicts with the Chilean authorities. Since the gold rush of 1848, there had been a great boom in the planting of cereals.

Some settlers moved to cultivate it in Araucanía, where they had no scruples to cheat the indigenous people in order to get land.

Causes

Instability in the area

As mentioned above, the independence of Chile did not develop in the same way throughout the territory.

In the central and northern zone an administration dependent on the central government had been created. In the south, by contrast, the authorities had failed to exercise effective control.

The cause of this instability was not only due to the Mapuche Indians, always reluctant to lose independence, but also to the number of bandits, fugitive soldiers and rebels who were in the area attacking the haciendas.

Support for the 1851 and 1859 uprisings made the situation even worse. The indigenous people took sides according to their interests, but it only served to make the central government decide to act against them.

Economic interest

Another cause of the Araucanía Occupation was the wealth of its natural resources. Chile soon noticed the fertility of the fields that were in the area. You were lands that, furthermore, the Mapuches did not cultivate.

On the other hand, the country wanted to seek more possibilities for economic development to complete the benefits left by the saltpeter.

The plan devised by the Chilean authorities included the creation of cities and the installation of communications and transportation infrastructure.

As for the conquered lands, the intention was to give them to settlers for free in order to attract population and begin to grow wheat.

Orélie Antoine de Tounens

Although it was considered unlikely, there was concern that some other country would try to take over the area, which would have meant splitting Chilean territory in two. This never happened, but there was an event that put the government on alert.

A Frenchman, named Orélie Antoine de Tounens, suddenly appeared in the region in 1861. In a short period of time he managed to get the natives to name him regent of a kingdom that he himself invented, that of Araucanía and Patagonia. The adventurer took the name of Orélie Antoine I.

Consequences

Unification of the country

When the occupation ended in 1861, the main objective of the Chileans had been accomplished: the country had total sovereignty over the entire territory.

Since colonial times, Araucanía had resisted all attempts at unification. Once achieved, Chile was no longer divided into two parts.

Abuses against the Mapuches

The defeat of the Mapuches made them the target of numerous abuses and scams of all kinds. On the one hand, they were concentrated in small reserves, called reductions.

These were separated from each other by areas inhabited by Chilean and European settlers and were considered communal property.

The land that was assigned to him only represented little more than 6% of what his lands had been. Furthermore, most of those granted lands were the least fertile.

This type of organization, totally alien to their customs and way of life, ended up causing serious problems of coexistence, both among the indigenous people themselves, and with the settlers.

Lastly, the Mapuche massacres by gold prospectors and ranchers followed one another, causing the indigenous population to decline dramatically.

Loss of indigenous culture

Many authors affirm that the Occupation of the Araucanía caused the Mapuche culture to lose part of its traditional characteristics.

The interaction with settlers from other places, who also formed the ruling class, caused their customs to disappear.

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Creoles discriminated socially, culturally and laboriously against the indigenous. Despite the claim that it was intended to integrate them into the country, the truth is that they were only allowed to participate in very specific and often secondary aspects.

Other rebellions

Despite all of the above, the Mapuche people continued to maintain a part of the rebellion that they had shown since the arrival of the Spanish.

Occasionally, uprisings occurred, such as the one in 1934, when 477 Mapuche and campesinos were killed by the army while protesting against labor abuses.

The riots have occurred every few years. In the 21st century, the Mapuches have carried out some violent acts in defense of their rights.

Currently, there is a group that claims the right of self-determination to decide how to organize as a people and over their historic lands.

References

1. Educational Portal. The occupation of Araucanía. Obtained from portaleducativo.net
2. Chilean Memory. Occupation of the Araucanía (1860-1883). Obtained from memoriachilena.cl
3. International Mapuche Link. The misnamed Pacification of Araucanía- Obtained from mapuche-nation.org
4. UNESCO, Tudor Rose. Agree to Differ. Recovered from books.google.es
5. Jacobs, Frank. The Forgotten Kingdom of Araucania-Patagonia. Retrieved from bigthink.com
6. Trovall, Elizabeth. A Brief History of Chile's Indigenous Mapuche People. Retrieved from theculturetrip.com
7. Madero, Cristóbal; Cano, Daniel. Indigenous Displacement in Southern Chile. Retrieved from revista.drclas.harvard.edu