Santa Cruz de Coya was a city established by the

governor of Chile The royal governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonization of the Americas, Spanish colonial administrative district called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the royal governor also held the title of a captain general. There w ...

Martín García Oñez de Loyola Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * Mart� ...

on the site of the fort of

Santa Cruz de Oñez Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christma ...

, in 1595. It was named for his wife

Beatriz Clara Coya Beatriz Clara Coya (1556 – 1600) was a princess (ñusta) of the Inca Empire. She was born to Sapa Inca Sayri Túpac (r 1545–1561) and Cusi Huarcay. She married Martín García Óñez de Loyola and was the mother of Ana María de Loyola Coya. ...

, a member of the royal Incan house. The Mapuche called the city Millacoya, meaning gold princess from the

mapudungun Mapuche ( , ; from 'land' and 'people', meaning 'the people of the land') or Mapudungun (from 'land' and 'speak, speech', meaning 'the speech of the land'; also spelled Mapuzugun and Mapudungu) is either a language isolate or member of the s ...

''milla'', gold and the

quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several Indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, an Indigenous South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language ...

''coya'', princess. The city was near the confluence of the Bio-Bio and Laja Rivers on the right bank of the upper reach of the

Rele River The Rele River is a river in the commune of Santa Juana. It has its origin to the south southeast of Santa Juana, from where it runs to the northeast from among the slopes of the heights of the Nahuelbuta Range and runs to the east to the Bio Bio ...

in Catiray, ten kilometers south of the Bio Bio. The site was in an elevated location but with a shortage of water. Gold mines were located across the Rele on a stream called Millapoa. It had a population that supported three churches but it did not flourish. It was abandoned soon after the

Disaster of Curalaba A disaster is an event that causes serious harm to people, buildings, economies, or the environment, and the affected community cannot handle it alone. ''Natural disasters'' like avalanches, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires are caused by natur ...

and was destroyed by

Pelantaro Pelantaro or Pelantarú (; from ) was one of the vice toquis of Paillamachu, the ''toqui'' or military leader of the Mapuche people during the Mapuche uprising in 1598. Pelantaro and his lieutenants Anganamon and Guaiquimilla were credited wi ...

in February 1599. Governor

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 Za ...

attempted to rebuild it in a better site in 1601 closer to the Bio Bio and the forts of

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 ...

, Chivicura and

Jesus de Huenuraquí Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. However it was soon abandoned and a new town of Monterrey de la Frontera was founded by Ribera to the east at the mouth of the Rele in 1605.

References

* ''Atlas de Historia de Chile'', Editorial Universitaria, pg. 48.
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. 190 Coya
Geography of Biobío Region Populated places established in 1595 1595 establishments in the Spanish Empire Former cities in Chile Populated places destroyed during wars 1599 disestablishments Populated places disestablished in 1599 {{Biobío-geo-stub