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The Huilliche uprising of 1712 () was an Indigenous uprising against the Spanish ''
encomenderos The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish labour system that rewarded conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including military protection and education. In pr ...
'' of the
Chiloé Archipelago The Chiloé Archipelago (, , ) is a group of islands lying off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and the Gulf of Corcovado in the s ...
, which was then a part of the
Captaincy General of Chile The General Captaincy of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ), Governorate of Chile, or Kingdom of Chile, was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818 that was, initially, part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It comprised most of mod ...
. The rebellion took place in the central part of the archipelago.


Background

Huilliche The Huilliche (), Huiliche or Huilliche-Mapuche are the southern partiality of the Mapuche macroethnic group in Chile and Argentina. Located in the Zona Sur, they inhabit both Futahuillimapu ("great land of the south") and, as the Cunco or Ve ...
s of Chiloé had previously taken action against their Spanish lords back in 1600, when a group helped the Dutch corsair Baltazar de Cordes attack the Spanish settlement of Castro. Unlike that of continental Chile, the Indigenous population of Chiloé grew from 1700 onwards. By 1712 Indigenous peoples made up around 50% of the population of the archipelago. The ''
encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish Labour (human activity), labour system that rewarded Conquistador, conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including mil ...
s'' of Chiloé were the largest of Chile and their administration of this form of forced labor more abusive than on the mainland. Moreover, the ''encomenderos'' did not fulfill their obligations, registering neither tribute nor salaries. ''Encomenderos'' often did not pay legal salaries or salaries at all and did not observe the "free time" of Indians defined in the ''encomienda'' laws. The ''encomienda'' activities in Chiloé included the Indians traveling to the continental coast to log for alerce wood. The Huilliches considered the abuses of José de Andrade a cause for rebellion, in particular, the whipping of Martín Antucan, an Indian de Andrade tied to an apple tree and
flogged Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, rods, switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, flogging has been imposed on a ...
on his genitals with
nettle Nettle refers to plants with stinging hairs, particularly those of the genus '' Urtica''. It can also refer to plants which resemble ''Urtica'' species in appearance but do not have stinging hairs. Plants called "nettle" include: * ball nettle ...
s, then covered in tow and set afire. According to testimonies gathered in 1725 José de Andrade judged wrongdoings himself, did not pay salaries, and tortured those who did not work due to illness. His son is reported to have had behaved similarly and his
majordomo A majordomo () is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (''major'') person of a household (''domūs'' or ''domicile'') staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a larg ...
kidnapped children to send them to continental Chile. During a meeting on 26 January 1712 the Huilliches set 10 February as the date of their uprising. The objective of the rebellion was not the end of Spanish rule but vengeance for injustices they suffered.


Rebellion

The strategy of the rebels focused on attacking Castro, the political and economic center of the islands which was also where most Spaniards lived and where most ''encomiendas'' were. On the night of 10 February, houses and
hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...
s of Spaniards in central Chiloé were attacked; Spaniards were killed and buildings set afire. Some Spaniards managed to fortify themselves in Castro while they were surrounded by rebels. Spanish women and children were taken as prisoners. On the first night of rebellion only notable Spaniards died; no Spaniards of low social standing or
mestizo ( , ; fem. , literally 'mixed person') is a term primarily used to denote people of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry in the former Spanish Empire. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also refer to people who are culturall ...
s, friars or priests were attacked. Other Spaniards survived hidden in the forests. The same day Spanish captains Juan de Aguilar and Diego Telles de Barrientos began to crush the rebellion. They subsequently fought in different places of Chiloé for eight days. Also on 10 February a Spanish militia began to kill Huilliches and were stopped only by the intervention of
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
s. Following the crushing of the rebellion a small group of Huilliches departed to the
Guaitecas Archipelago The Guaitecas Archipelago is a sparsely populated archipelago in the Aisén region of Chile. The archipelago is made up of eight main islands and numerous smaller ones. The eight largest islands are from northwest to southeast: Gran Guaiteca, Asc ...
to avoid harsh Spanish reprisals. Other insurgents sought refuge from the Spanish reprisal with Father Manuel del Hoyo in the Mission of Nahuel Huapi across the
Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
.


Aftermath

José Marín de Velasco, the Royal Governor of Chiloé, was suspended from his duties after the rebellion. However, he later obtained the approval of the
King of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...
and returned to rule Chiloé in 1715, aiming to put the ''encomienda'' system under the rule of law. Indigenous complaints to the Spanish authorities increased after the rebellion. The ''encomienda'' system was abolished in 1782 in Chiloé, in the rest of Chile in 1789, and in the whole Spanish Empire in 1791.


See also

*
Economic history of Chile The economy of Chile has shifted substantially over time from the heterogeneous economies of the diverse Indigenous peoples in Chile, indigenous peoples to an early husbandry-oriented economy and finally to one of raw material export and a large ...
* Mission of Nahuel Huapi


References

{{Chiloe Archipelago History of Chiloé Battles involving the Mapuche Indigenous rebellions against the Spanish Empire Conflicts in 1712 1712 in the Captaincy General of Chile History of labour relations in Chile Rebellions in Chile
Uprising Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...