Battle of Angol

Battle of Angol Part of the Arauco War Date March 25, 1564[1] Location Vicinity of Los Infantes, Chile Coordinates: 37°45′29.22″S 72°41′56.73″W / 37.7581167°S 72.6990917°W / -37.7581167; -72.6990917 Result Spanish Victory Belligerents Spanish Empire Mapuche Commanders and leaders Lorenzo Bernal del Mercado Illangulién Strength Sixty Spaniards (including 12 arqubusiers and a field gun) 500 Indian auxiliaries[2] Four thousand warriors[3] Casualties and losses No dead, many wounded[2] 1,000 killed (including Illangulién), many more wounded and many captured[2]

Arauco War Reynogüelén Quilacura Andalien Penco Tucapel Marihueñu Peteroa Mataquito Lagunillas Millarapue Quiapo Siege of Concepción Angol 2nd Reinohuelén Catirai Purén Curalaba Seven Cities Boroa Los Robles La Albarrada Río Bueno

Battle of Angol was a battle fought between the Mapuche and the Spanish conquerors in March 1564.

History

In Los Infantes captain Lorenzo Bernal del Mercado had discovered that the rebels had constructed a pukara close by, establishing a blockade of the city. Lorenzo Bernal ordered a reconnaissance patrol and he observed that the natives under the toqui Illangulién had chosen an impregnable position in a marsh and chose to retire. Illangulién's troops then moved to a second position, nearer to Angol, to which captain Lorenzo Bernal responded with a new reconnaissance.

Finding that this new position also was impregnable he again retired. Feeling victorious and believing the destruction of Angol was imminent, a Mapuche detachment located themselves in a third position awaiting reinforcements from their main body at the old position. This time, seeing their dangerous proximity to Los Infantes, captain Bernal chose to attack the position before more Mapuches arrived. In the battle the Spanish drove the Mapuche out of their pukara and pursued them down to the river bank and drove them into the river, where they were trapped and 1,000 Mapuches were killed including the toqui Illanguelén and many more were wounded or captured. Bernal ordered some of the captives killed and others lost hands or feet. When the news reached the rest of the Mapuche army coming to attack Angol, they dispersed.^[2]

References

Sources

• Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo,Historia de Todas las Cosas que han Acaecido en el Reino de Chile y de los que lo han gobernado (1536-1575) (History of All the Things that Have happened in the Kingdom of Chile and of they that have governed it (1536-1575)), Edición digital a partir de Crónicas del Reino de Chile, Madrid, Atlas, 1960, pp. 75–224, (on line in Spanish)
  • Capítulo XLVI De cómo se juntaron los indios de la comarca de Angol y vinieron sobre la ciudad por tres partes, y fueron desbaratados por el capitán Lorenzo Bernal
• Pedro Mariño de Lobera,Crónica del Reino de Chile , escrita por el capitán Pedro Mariño de Lobera....reducido a nuevo método y estilo por el Padre Bartolomé de Escobar. Edición digital a partir de Crónicas del Reino de Chile Madrid, Atlas, 1960, pp. 227-562, (Biblioteca de Autores Españoles ; 569-575). Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes (on line in Spanish)
  • Capítulo XXII De cómo se despobló la casa fuerte de Arauco y de la victoria que el capitán Lorenzo Bernal alcanzó del general indio llamado Quiromanite en la ciudad de los Infantes