tribal confederation · South America

Araucanía

1550 CE – 1883 CE (approx.)

The lands of the Mapuche south of the Biobío river, which resisted Spanish conquest for three centuries and kept their independence until the 1880s.

Origins

When Pedro de Valdivia advanced south from Santiago in 1550, the Mapuche of the region between the Biobío and Toltén rivers rose against him. Under leaders such as Lautaro and Caupolicán they defeated and killed Valdivia at Tucapel in 1553, beginning the long Arauco War.

Rule and society

The Mapuche had no central state. Each lineage was led by a lonko, and groups united under war leaders called toqui in times of conflict. After the victory at Curalaba in 1598, Mapuche forces destroyed the Spanish towns south of the Biobío. At the Parliament of Quillín in 1641 Spain recognised the river as the frontier, and later parlamentos regulated trade and peace. The Mapuche adopted horses and cattle and traded across the Andes into the pampas.

Decline and legacy

Independent Chile carried out the Occupation of Araucanía from 1861 to 1883, while Argentina's Conquest of the Desert subdued the Mapuche east of the Andes. Mapuche lands were confiscated and confined to reservations, and land claims remain a major political issue.

Connections (3)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Araucanía. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/araucania
MLA
“Araucanía.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/araucania. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Araucanía.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/araucania.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Araucanía’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/araucania (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻