The Army of Arauco ( es, Ejército de Arauco) was a professional army in the service of the

kings of Spain This is a list of Spanish monarchs, that is, rulers of the country of Spain. The forerunners of the monarchs of the Spanish throne were the following: *Kings of the Visigoths * Kings of Asturias * Kings of Navarre *Kings of León *Kings of Gal ...

that was based in Spanish-Mapuche frontier, south-central

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 east a ...

, during the 16th to 19th centuries. It was notable for being a rare example of a standing army in the Americas. The army was established after the disastrous

Destruction of the Seven Cities The Destruction of the Seven Cities ( es, Destrucción de las siete ciudades) is a term used in Chilean historiography to refer to the destruction or abandonment of seven major Spanish outposts in southern Chile around 1600, caused by the Mapuc ...

(1598–1604) to fight in the

Arauco War The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities and force Mapuche ...

against anti-Spanish

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 sha ...

coalitions. The army was financed by silver from

Potosí Potosí, known as Villa Imperial de Potosí in the colonial period, is the capital city and a municipality of the Department of Potosí in Bolivia. It is one of the highest cities in the world at a nominal . For centuries, it was the location o ...

, in a payment called

Real Situado The royal situado ( es, real situado) was the Spanish term for revenues that the viceroyalties of Peru, New Spain, New Granada, and Rio de la Plata sent to finance colonial frontier defenses against internal and external enemies. Soon after Pedro ...

.Lacoste, P. 2005. El vino y la nueva identidad de Chile. ''

Revista Universum ''Universum'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal specialising in social sciences and humanities of Latin America. It is published by the Instituto de Estudios Humanísticos Abate Juan Ignacio Molina (University of Talca) and is also financed by th ...

'', 20, 24-33. With the army headquarters being in Concepción this city became the "military capital" of Chile. The Army of Arauco shaped the economy of southern Chile as it created a demand for wine and it meant an inflow of silver. This stimulated the

Chilean wine Chilean wine has a long history for a New World wine region, as it was the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors brought ''Vitis vinifera'' vines with them as they colonized the region. In the mid-19th century, French wine varieties su ...

industry as well as the

Mapuche silverwork Mapuche silverwork is one of the best known aspects of Mapuche material culture.Painecura 2011, p. 15. The adornments have been subject to changes in fashion but some designs have resisted change. History Prior tradition of gold adornments Mapuch ...

tradition. In addition Guaraní indians serving the army are thought to have helped establish the custom of drinking yerba mate in southern Chile.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Army of Arauco Arauco War Warfare of the Early Modern period Captaincy General of Chile Eighty Years' War Military units and formations of Spain Military units and formations established in 1604 1604 establishments in the Spanish Empire Mapuche history

See also

References