Fort Colcura was a small fort that was the first

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

settlement that existed in the commune of

Lota, Chile Lota is a city and commune located in the center of 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 ...

. It was on a small height on the edge of the

Bay of Arauco Bay of Arauco or Bahia de Araucan, is a bay located on the coast of the Arauco Province, of the Bío Bío Region of Chile. The bay, is between the mountains of the Nahuelbuta Range to the east and to the west the Santa Maria Island and northwest ...

, a little more than two kilometers to the southeast of the modern city of Lota. From its position it dominated the north slope of cerro Marihueñu and the valley of Colcura in whose extreme west is the mouth of the

riachuelo Colcura The Riachuelo Colcura is a river of Chile. See also *List of rivers of Chile This list of rivers of Chile includes all the major rivers of Chile. See each article for their tributaries, drainage areas, etc. Usually significant tributaries appea ...

that empties into the cove of Colcura. This place was established as a small fort at the start of the

conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

, and was several times destroyed by the

Moluche The Moluche ("people from where the sun sets" or "people from the west") or Nguluche are an indigenous people of Chile. Their language was a dialect of Mapudungun, a Mapuche language. At the beginning of the Conquest of Chile by the Spanish Empire ...

s and repaired. Following the

Mapuche Uprising of 1598 As an archaeological culture, the Mapuche people of southern Chile and Argentina have a long history which dates back to 600–500 BC. The Mapuche society underwent great transformations after Spanish contact in the mid–16th century. These chang ...

it was rebuilt again in 1602 by

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 ...

Alonso de Ribera Alonso de Ribera y Zambrano (; 1560 – March 9, 1617) was a Spanish soldier and twice Spanish royal governor of Chile (1601–1605 and 1612–1617). Early life Born in Úbeda, he was the illegitimate son of Hidalgo and Captain Jorge de Ribera ...

. After the Mapuche Insurrection of 1655, Pedro Porter Casanate built a new fortress of ''San Miguel Arcángel de Colcura'' on the same site in 1662.

Sources

* Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga y Cienfuegos
Diccionario geográfico de la República de Chile, SEGUNDA EDICIÓN CORREGIDA Y AUMENTADA, NUEVA YORK, D. APPLETON Y COMPAÑÍA, 1899, Pg. 157 Colcura
Calcura 1602 establishments in the Captaincy General of Chile Coasts of Biobío Region Buildings and structures in Biobío Region {{Chile-struct-stub