La Frontera is a name used in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

to refer to the region around the Bío Bío River, or to the whole area between there and the Toltén River. The use of this latter definition is largely coterminous with the historical usage of Araucanía. The term was coined during the period when the region was the frontier of the

Captaincy General of Chile The Captaincy General of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ) or Governorate of Chile (known colloquially and unofficially as the Kingdom of Chile), was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1817 that was, for most of its existenc ...

, then a part of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

and later the Republic of Chile, with the

Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...

people inhabiting the Araucanía following their revolt in 1598. Subsequently, the Spanish Empire established a system of forts between the Bío Bío River and the

Itata River The Itata River flows in the Ñuble Region, southern Chile. Until the Conquest of Chile, the Itata was the natural limit between the Mapuche The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous i ...

, as well as some within the Araucanía. This system continued through the 18th century and into the 19th century.

Forts and settlements of La Frontera

The first fortress rebuilt following the 1599 destruction of the forts in

Catirai Catirai or Catiray is the region of the Moluche Aillarehue of Catiray in old Araucanía. It is now the Santa Juana commune of the Concepción Province and the Nacimiento commune of the Bío Bío Province of the Bío Bío Region, of Chile. It ...

and its city Santa Cruz de Coya, the cities of Santa María la Blanca de Valdivia, San Andrés de Los Infantes and San Bartolomé de Chillán y Gamboa, was the reconstruction of the city of Chillán by the interim

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Francisco de Quiñónez Francisco de Quiñónez (? - ? Leon †); Spanish soldier who was appointed as governor of Chile for thirteen months, between May 1599 and June 1600. When he became governor of Chile, Quiñónez was a veteran soldier. He had served, in 1559, in t ...

17th century

In 1601 Alonso de Ribera built Fort Talcahuano to defend remaining Spanish settlements near Concepción and Fort Lonquén on the

Lonquén River The Lonquén River is in the Ñuble Region in the southern part of Central Chile. It forms at the confluence of the ''esteros'' Pichimávida and Colomávida that originate in the mountains in the east of the province. Its course lies from north to s ...

to secure estancias that provided food to the army. In 1602 Ribera rebuilt the small

Fort Colcura Fort Colcura was a small fort that was the first Spanish settlement that existed in the commune of Lota, Chile. It was on a small height on the edge of the Bay of Arauco, a little more than two kilometers to the southeast of the modern city of Lo ...

and Fort Guanaraque and built a new fort, Santa Fe near the confluence of the Bio Bio and Vergara Rivers. On the coast Ribera sent captain Francisco Hernández Ortiz to establish a fort

Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Ca ...

on the site of the ruined city but it had to be abandoned by the starving remnant of its garrison after a terrible two-year siege. In 1603 Ribera built Fort Chepe and Fort San Pedro to cover the crossing at the mouth of the Bio Bio River. He rebuilt San Felipe de Araucan and Santa Margarita de Austria on the coast between the

aillarehue Aillarehue or Ayllarehue (from the Mapudungun: ayllarewe/ayjarewe: "nine rehues"); a confederation of rehues or family-based units (lof) that dominated a region or province. It was the old administrative and territorial division of the Mapuche, H ...

s of Arauco and Tucapel and a fort at Tucapel and Paicavi on the Paicavi River. Also in the same year to the east along the Bio Bio River facing the aillarehues of

and Purén, he rebuilt Santa Lucia de Yumbel and built the forts of Nuestra Señora de la Buena Esperanza,

San Rosendo San Rosendo () is a Chilean city and commune in Bío Bío Province, Bío Bío Region. The city of San Rosendo lies on the gentle slopes of a hill overlooking the confluence of the rivers Bío Bío and Laja, which respectively bound the city ...

Nuestra de Senora de Halle ''Nuestra'' is the debut studio album of the Venezuelan rock band La Vida Bohème, released in August 2010. Recorded and produced by Rudy Pagliuca, it is a free download on the website of the record label All of the Above. The album was nominated ...

, Nacimiento de Nuestro Señor and

San Francisco de Borja San Francisco de Borja is a town and seat of the municipality of San Francisco de Borja, in the northern Mexican state The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially n ...

. The refugees from the abandoned city of Osorno under captain Francisco Hernández founded Fort Calbuco on a channel between the

Reloncaví Sound Reloncaví Sound or ''Seno de Reloncaví'' is a body of water immediately south of Puerto Montt, a port city in the Los Lagos Region of Chile. It is the place where the Chilean Central Valley meets the Pacific Ocean. The Calbuco Archipelago comp ...

and the

Gulf of Ancud 250px, Map of the Sea of Chiloé and nearby roads. The Gulf of Ancud is seen in the centre of the upper half. Gulf of Ancud ( es, Golfo de Ancud) is a large body of water separating the Chiloé Island from the mainland of Chile. It is located nor ...

. In 1606,

Alonso García de Ramón Alonso García de Ramón (c. 1552 – August 5, 1610) was a Spanish soldier and twice Royal Governor of Chile: first temporarily from July 1600 to February 1601, and then from March 1605 to August 1610. He was born in Cuenca, Spain in 155 ...

built Fort San Ignacio de la Redención near

Boroa Boroa, is a town in Araucanía, Chile on the shores of Cautín River. The region near the town south of the Cautin River between the Boroa and Quepe Rivers was the Moluche aillarehue of Boroa. The site of the town was founded as a Spanish fort ' ...

but it was abandoned soon after the ambush of most of its garrison. In 1607 García de Ramón rebuilt Fort Purén and

San Jerónimo de Millapoa San Jerónimo de Millapoa was a fort founded by Alonso de Sotomayor in 1585. It dominated the small valleys of the eastern slopes of the Nahuelbuta Range of Catirai, in the upper part of the Culenco River, in the mountainous area 25 kilometers sou ...

but as a result of a peace agreement with the Moluche of Catirai he soon dismantled the later. In 1611 Luis Merlo de la Fuente built fort '' San Luis de Angol'' a little to the south of the old city of Angol. In 1613 Alonso de Ribera built Fort Virguenco in the upper part of the Rehue River and rebuilt the fort at Puren again. In 1621,

Cristóbal de la Cerda y Sotomayor Cristóbal de la Cerda y Sotomayor, (México 1585? – † ? ); Spanish oidor An ''oidor'' () was a judge of the Royal ''Audiencias'' and ''Chancillerías'', originally courts of Kingdom of Castile, which became the highest organs of justice w ...

rebuilt the fort of Yumbel the same year it was destroyed. He also built fort San Cristóbal de La Paz and fortified the town around the fort San Bartolomé de Chillán. In 1622, Pedro Osores de Ulloa built Fort Negrete. 8 March 1626, Luis Fernandez de Cordova established Santa Juana de Guadalcazar. In 1637, Francisco Laso de la Vega established fort '' San Francisco de la Vega'' near the ruined site of the city of Angol, abandoning fort ''San Luis de Angol''. In 1641, all the Spanish forts south of the Bio Bio were abandoned under the terms of the Peace of Quilín. In 1647, Martín de Mujica y Buitrón as a result of the Parliament of Quilín (1647) was able to reestablish forts at

, Santa Juana in 1648, and at

in 1649. In 1657 Pedro Porter Casanate restored the city of San Bartolomé de Chillán following its destruction at the beginning of the

Mapuche Insurrection of 1655 The Mapuche uprising of 1655 ( es, alzamiento mapuche de 1655 or ) was a series of coordinated Mapuche attacks against Spanish settlements and forts in colonial Chile. It was the worst military crisis in Chile in decades, and contemporaries even ...

. He also built forts San Rafael de Coelemu and San Fabián de Conueo northeast of Concepcion. Meanwhile, captain Alonso de Cordova y Figueroa built Fort Tolpán at the confluence of the Renaico and Vergara Rivers. In 1661 Governor Porter Casanate built fort '' San Miguel Arcángel de Colcura'' near modern

Lota Lota may refer to: Places * Lota (crater), a crater on Mars * Lota, Chile, a city and commune in Chile * Lota, Punjab, village in Pakistan *Lota, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia **Lota railway station, a station on the Cleveland line * ...

and a fort at

Talcamávida Talcamávida is a town in the commune of Hualqui in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is located on the north bank of the Bio Bio River across from Santa Juana on the opposite shore. It occupied a plain along the river from the Pacific Ocean that ...

. In 1662 Ángel de Peredo established a new city of

Santa Maria de Guadalupe The Royal Monastery of Saint Mary of Guadalupe ( es, Real Monasterio de Santa María de Guadalupe) is a Roman Catholic monastic establishment built during the 14th century located in Guadalupe, in Extremadura, Spain. It is located at the foot ...

and repopulated Arauco lost in 1655. In 1663 Paredo rebuilt fort San Cristóbal de La Paz. In 1665 Francisco de Meneses Brito established fort San Carlos de Virhuenco on the upper Rehue River and rebuilt forts Nacimiento de Nuestro Señor and Puren. In 1666 Meneses built fort Santa Fe and

Fort de la Encarnación Fort de la Encarnación on the Repocura River was built in 1666 by a team overseen by Juan Ignacio de la Carrera and the orders of the Royal Governor of Chile Francisco de Meneses Brito. It was destroyed during a Mapuche rising in 1694 and rebuilt ...

in Repucura. He also rebuilt San Carlos de Austria de Yumbel. In 1693 Tomás Marín de Poveda rebuilt fort Buena Esperanza de Rere. In 1694 Marín de Poveda restored Fort de la Encarnación and a Mission in Repucura. In 1695 Marín de Poveda built fort Santo Tomás de Colhué.

18th century

In 1724 Gabriel Cano de Aponte rebuilt forts Nacimiento, Santa Juana de Guadalcázar and Santo Tomás de Colhué. He transferred from Arauco Province the garrison and inhabitants of Plaza de San Diego de Tucapel to the bank of the Laja River near the Andes where a new fort of the same name was built. In 1739,

José Antonio Manso de Velasco José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

founded

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles. In 1749 fort Nacimiento was moved to the present site of the modern town of Nacimiento. In 1756,

Manuel de Amat y Juniet Manuel de Amat y Junyent, OSJ, OM ( ca, Manuel d'Amat i de Junyent) (March 1707 – February 14, 1782) was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator. He was the Royal Governor of the Captaincy General of Chile from December 28, 175 ...

founded fort Santa Bárbara and established the towns of San Rafael de Talcamavida and San Juan Bautista de Gualqui In 1757 Amat y Juniet made Nacimiento a town. In 1764 Antonio de Guill y Gonzaga established Fort Repucura and a mission at Repucura once again. In 1777, the then military engineer Ambrosio O' Higgins, constructed for Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa, a fort San Agustín de Mesamávida. In 1788 Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins built Fort Príncipe Carlos on the Duqueco River. In 1792 the forces of Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins under Tomás de Figueroa took possession of the site of the city of Osorno ruined in 1602, and constructed a fort there. O'Higgins reestablished it as a city in 1796.

Sources

Diego de Rosales Diego de Rosales ( Madrid, 1601 - Santiago, 1677) was a Spanish chronicler and author of ''Historia General del Reino de Chile''. He studied in his hometown, where he also joined the Society of Jesus. He came to Chile in the year 1629, without ...

, ''Historia General del Reino de Chile, Flandes Indiano'', 3 tomos. Valparaíso 1877–1878. *
Historia general de el Reyno de Chile: Flandes Indiano Vol. 2 Libro V La Ruina de las Siete Ciudades
*

Crescente Errázuriz 300px, Monsignor Crescente Errázuriz Valdivieso. Monsignor Crescente Errázuriz Valdivieso (November 18, 1839 – July 5, 1931) was a Chilean Dominican friar, Roman Catholic archbishop of Santiago, professor, writer and historian. Crescente Err ...

''Seis años de la historia de Chile: 23 de diciembre de 1598- 9 de abril de 1605: memoria histórica''
Impr. Nacional, Sanitiago de Chile, 1881.
''Atlas de Historia de Chile''
Editorial Universitaria, pp. 54–55
Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga y Cienfuegos, ''Diccionario geográfico de la República de Chile''
D. Appleton y Compania, Nueva York, 1899 {{Coord, 34, 41, S, 71, 02, W, display=title, region:CL_type:landmark_source:GNS-enwiki Geography of Araucanía Region Geography of Biobío Region Geography of Chile History of Chile La Frontera (geographical region) History of Araucanía Region History of Biobío Region Marches (country subdivision)

Forts and settlements of La Frontera

17th century

18th century

See also

Sources