Battle of Peteroa

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Battle of Peteroa
Part of Arauco War
DateJune - July, 1556
Location
Result Spanish Victory
Belligerents
Spanish Empire Mapuche
Commanders and leaders
Pedro de Villagra
Lautaro
Strength
40 Spanish soldiers, 400 yanakuna [1] 300 soldiers
Casualties and losses
Two Spaniards were killed 200 killed

Battle of Peteroa was a battle in the

Lautaro
.

History

Following the destruction of

Santiago.[4]

In May 1556 Lautaro was able to lead a force north of the

Pedro Valdivia
years before, who were now inspired to revolt by the previous successes of Lautaro.

Lautaro led his force of Mapuche to the north towards

Santiago. After crossing the Maule River he encamped near modern Teno, at a place called Peteroa.[5] But when he entered the places subject to Santiago, he began taking reprisals against the Promaucaes who refused to join him, doing great damage and depopulating the land. Spanish and Indian refugees fled to the city for aid and protection.[6]
After he was victorious over the first probe from Santiago of twenty Spanish horsemen under Diego Cano, Lautaro built an earthen fort around his camp flooding the land around it to hamper the Spaniards from attacking it.

Later a larger force under

Juan Godíñez, caught and nearly destroyed a detachment of his army there,[7] persuading Lautaro to move further south beyond the Itata River to recover his strength.[6]

Additional information

References

  1. ^ Vivar, Crónica, Capítulo CXXIX
  2. ^ The location of this battle is uncertain and sometimes confused with the place on the Mataquito River where Lautaro was killed in 1557. His fortress of Peteroa built in 1556 was located near Teno "twenty leagues from the city of Santiago" according to Jerónimo de Vivar, Crónica y relación copiosa y verdadera de los reinos de Chile, Capítulo CXXVIII. A soldier in this campaign under Juan Godíñez, Alonso Lopez de la Raigada, involved in the campaigns against Lautaro, refers to the 1556 fortress as "Peteroa" and the camp where Lautaro was killed as "Mataquito" and also refers to "Peteroa y Mataquito" as separate places (Medina, Colección de documentos inéditos, Información de senidos de Alonso López de la Eaigada). Lobera does not give a place name to the location of the 1556 fortress. He does call the place of the 1557 battle he took part in as being at the "lugar de Mataquito"; Capítulo LV. Marmolejo gives no place names to either location.
  3. ^ Vivar, Crónica , Capítulo CXXVII
  4. ^ Vivar, Crónica, Capítulo CXXVIII
  5. ^ Vivar, Crónica, Capítulo CXXVIII; José Toribio Medina, Colección de documentos inéditos, IV.— Información de senidos de Alonso López de la Eaigada, vecino de la ciudad de Santiago de Chile, 20 de junio de 1579. (Archivo de Indias, Patronato, 1-5-34/18)
  6. ^ a b Lobera, Chapter LIV
  7. ^ Medina, Colección de documentos inéditos..., XXVI, IV.— , Información de senidos de Alonso López de la Eaigada

Sources