Janequeo or Yanequén, was a

lonco A lonko or lonco (from Mapudungun ''longko'', literally "head"), is a chief of several Mapuche communities. These were often ulmen Ulmen is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the seat of the like-named ...

(chief) and

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...

of 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 ...

Pehuenche Pehuenche (or ''Pewenche'', people of the "pehuen" or "pewen" in Mapudungun) are an indigenous people of South America. They live in the Andes, primarily in present-day south central Chile and adjacent Argentina. Their name derives from their de ...

people. She was the wife of the lonco Huepotaén, chief of

Llifén Llifén is a Chilean town ( es, pueblo) in the commune of Futrono on the shores of Ranco Lake located near the mouth of Calcurrupe River. In 2017 Llifén had a population 768 a slight increase relative to the 748 inhabitants recorded in the 2002 c ...

, who was killed after being tortured by order of Governor

Alonso de Sotomayor Alonso de Sotomayor y Valmediano (; 1545–1610) was a Spanish conquistador from Extremadura, and a Royal Governor of Chile. Early life He was born in Trujillo, in the province of Extremadura, the son of Gutiérrez de Sotomayor e Hinojosa a ...

. She succeeded him as

, in command of the struggle against the Spanish.

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 ha ...

, Historia General del Reino de Chile, lib IV, cap 56

References

{{reflist 16th-century Mapuche people Characters in La Araucana Mapuche women Native American women in warfare People whose existence is disputed People of the Arauco War Women in 16th-century warfare