Colocolo (from
Mapudungun
Mapuche (, Mapuche & Spanish: , or Mapudungun; from ' 'land' and ' 'speak, speech') is an Araucanian language related to Huilliche spoken in south-central Chile and west-central Argentina by the Mapuche people (from ''mapu'' 'land' and ''che ...
"
colocolo
The Pampas cat (''Leopardus colocola'') is a small wild cat native to South America. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as habitat conversion and destruction may cause the population to decline in the future.
It is named after ...
", mountain cat) was a
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 ...
leader ("cacique
lonco
A lonko or lonco (from Mapudungun ''longko'', literally "head"), is a chief of several Mapuche communities. These were often ulmen, the wealthier men in the lof. In wartime, lonkos of the various local rehue or the larger aillarehue would gather in ...
") in the early period of 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 ...
. He was a major figure in
Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga's epic poem
La Araucana
''La Araucana'' (also known in English as ''The Araucaniad'') is a 16th-century epic poem in Spanish by Alonso de Ercilla, about the Spanish Conquest of Chile. It was considered the national epic of the Captaincy General of Chile and one of th ...
, about the early Arauco War. In the poem he was the one that proposed the contest between the rival candidates for
Toqui
Toqui (or Toki) ( Mapudungun for ''axe'' or ''axe-bearer'') is a title conferred by the Mapuche (an indigenous Chilean and Argentinian people) on those chosen as leaders during times of war. The toqui is chosen in an assembly or parliament ('' ...
that resulted in the choice of
Caupolicán
Caupolicán (meaning ‘polished flint’ (queupu) or ‘blue quartz stone’ (Kallfulikan) in Mapudungun) was a ''toqui'' or war leader of the Mapuche people, who led the resistance of his people against the Spanish Conquistadors who invaded the ...
. As a historical figure there are some few contemporary details about him. Stories of his life were written long after his lifetime and display many points of dubious historical accuracy.
Mentions in contemporary accounts
Pedro Mariño de Lobera
Pedro Mariño de Lobera (1528–1594) was a Galician soldier, conquistador and chronicler of the Arauco War in the Captaincy General of Chile.
Biography
A professional soldier who served in the war between Spain and France, he went to the Americ ...
listed Colocolo as one of the caciques that offered submission to Pedro de Valdivia after the
Battle of Penco
The Battle of Penco, on March 12, 1550 was a battle between 60,000 Mapuche under the command of their toqui Ainavillo with his Araucan and Tucapel allies and Pedro de Valdivia's 200 Spaniards on horse and afoot with many ''yanakuna'' including ...
.
Jerónimo de Vivar Jerónimo de Vivar was a Spanish historian of the early conquest and settlement of the Kingdom of Chile, and author of ''Crónica y relación copiosa y verdadera de los reinos de Chile''.
Little is known about his life except that according to his ...
in his ''Chronicle of the Kingdom of Chile'' (1558), describes Colocolo as one of the Mapuche leaders with 6,000 warriors and one of the competitors for Toqui of the whole Mapuche army following the
Battle of Tucapel
The Battle of Tucapel (also known as the Disaster of Tucapel) is the name given to a battle fought between Spanish conquistador forces led by Pedro de Valdivia and Mapuche (Araucanian) Indians under Lautaro that took place at Tucapel, Chile on D ...
. ''Millarapue'' also a leader of 6,000 men, but old and not a candidate for the leadership, was the one who persuaded them to quit arguing among themselves and settle the matter with a contest of strength between them which resulted in the victory of Caupolicán who became Toqui.
Lobera later says Colocolo and Peteguelen were the leaders that discovered the advance of the army of
Francisco de Villagra
Francisco de Villagra Velázquez (1511 – 22 July 1563) was a Spanish conquistador, and three times governor of Chile.
Early life
Born at Santervás de Campos, he was the son of Alvaro de Sarría and Ana Velázquez de Villagra, who were not m ...
and summoned all the people who could fight from the neighboring provinces to oppose the Spanish in the
Battle of Marihueñu
Battle of Marihueñu was one of the early decisive battles of the Arauco War; it took place between the Mapuche leader Lautaro (toqui), Lautaro and the Spanish general Francisco de Villagra on 23 February 1554.
History
After the defeat at the ...
. He was one of the commanders under
Lautaro
Lautaro (Anglicized as 'Levtaru') ( arn, Lef-Traru " swift hawk") (; 1534? – April 29, 1557) was a young Mapuche toqui known for leading the indigenous resistance against Spanish conquest in Chile and developing the tactics that would conti ...
at the second destruction of
Concepción on December 4, 1555. He also lists Colocolo as one of Caupolicán's lieutenants in the
Battle of Millarapue against
García Hurtado de Mendoza
García or Garcia may refer to:
People
* García (surname)
* Kings of Pamplona/Navarre
** García Íñiguez of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 851/2–882
** García Sánchez I of Pamplona, king of Pamplona 931–970
** García Sánchez II of Pam ...
. Lobera also says he was one of the major leaders of the Arauco area to submit to Mendoza after the
Battle of Quiapo
Battle of Quiapo in the Arauco War was the final battle in the campaign of García Hurtado de Mendoza against the Mapuche under the toqui known as Lemucaguin or Caupolicán the younger. It was fought in Quiapo, Arauco Province, Chile on Decem ...
and the reestablishment of the fortress of
San Felipe de Araucan in 1559. He is also said to have given Mendoza warning of the assassination plot of
Mecial.
Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo
Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo (1523–1575) was a Spanish conquistador and chronicler of the early conquest and settlement of the Captaincy General of Chile, and the start of the Arauco War.
Biography
Marmolejo was born in the town of Carmona, And ...
in his ''History of All the Things that Have happened in the Kingdom of Chile'' mentions Colocolo in 1561 as a principal leader in
Arauco and is said to be a friend until death to the Spanish. He was consulted by
Pedro de Villagra
Pedro de Villagra y Martínez (1513 in Mombeltrán, Ávila Province – September 11, 1577 in Lima) was a Spanish soldier who participated in the conquest of Chile, being appointed its Royal Governor between 1563 and 1565.
His father was Juan d ...
about the way to defeat the first outbreak of the second great Mapuche revolt that began that year. It says he advised them to storm a fortress the rebels had built and that such a defeat would end the rebellion. Later, in the following year after Villagra had evacuated the city of
Cañete revealing Spanish weakness, Colocolo was prevailed on by the rebellious Mapuche in Arauco to take command of their army. At his order
Millalelmo Millalelmo or ''Millarelmo'' (died 1570) was a Mapuche military leader in the second great Mapuche rebellion that began in 1561 during the Arauco War. Probably the toqui of the Arauco region, he commanded the Mapuche army of that area at the sieg ...
laid siege to the fort of
Arauco and other leaders the fort of
Los Infantes.
Mentions in later accounts
Juan Ignacio Molina
Fr. Juan Ignacio Molina (; (June 24, 1740 – September 12, 1829) was a Chilean Jesuit priest, naturalist, historian, translator, geographer, botanist, ornithologist, and linguist. He is usually referred to as Abate Molina (a form of Abbot Moli ...
follows Ercilla's account of Colocolo as the wise elder, in his ''The Geographical, Natural and Civil History of Chili, Vol. II'', (1808). He claims Colocolo was killed in the 1558
Battle of Quiapo
Battle of Quiapo in the Arauco War was the final battle in the campaign of García Hurtado de Mendoza against the Mapuche under the toqui known as Lemucaguin or Caupolicán the younger. It was fought in Quiapo, Arauco Province, Chile on Decem ...
.
[Colocolo does not appear on the list of leaders killed in the battle of Quiapo that appears in Lobera, Cronica..., Libro 2, Capítulo XI.]
Other claims
Claims are Colocolo held the position of "Toqui de la Paz" (''Peace Chief'') but took over strategic duties when Spanish conquest began, becoming the head of the native
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 ...
forces against these invaders. Some others believe his death happened during the great famine and
typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure.
...
epidemic in 1554–1555.
Modern symbol
Colocolo, is a symbol of heroic courage, bravery, and wisdom who fought and never surrendered to the Spaniards. Remembered as Ercilla's 60-something elder widely respected by mapuche people, among his captains we can find headchiefs whose names are part of Chile's present geography: ''Paicaví'', ''Lemo'', ''Lincoyán'', ''Elicura'' and ''Orompello'', just to name a few.
The most popular Chilean
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club,
Colo-Colo
Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo () is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano they play in the Chilean Primera División, from which they have never been relegated. The team has played ...
, was named after this warrior. The
Chilean Navy
The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso.
History
Origins and the Wars ...
has given its name to
several ships throughout history.
References
Sources
*
Jerónimo de Vivar Jerónimo de Vivar was a Spanish historian of the early conquest and settlement of the Kingdom of Chile, and author of ''Crónica y relación copiosa y verdadera de los reinos de Chile''.
Little is known about his life except that according to his ...
Crónica y relación copiosa y verdadera de los reinos de Chile (Chronicle and abundant and true relation of the kingdoms of Chile)ARTEHISTORIA REVISTA DIGITAL; Crónicas de América (on line in Spanish)(History of Chile 1535–1558)
*
Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo
Alonso de Góngora Marmolejo (1523–1575) was a Spanish conquistador and chronicler of the early conquest and settlement of the Captaincy General of Chile, and the start of the Arauco War.
Biography
Marmolejo was born in the town of Carmona, And ...
br>
Historia de Todas las Cosas que han Acaecido en el Reino de Chile y de los que lo han gobernado (1536-1575) (History of All the Things that Have happened in the Kingdom of Chile and of those that have governed it (1536-1575)) Edición digital a partir de Crónicas del Reino de Chile, Madrid, Atlas, 1960, pp. 75–224, (on line in Spanish)
*
Alonso de Ercilla y ZúñigaLa Araucana eswikisource.
*
Pedro Mariño de Lobera
Pedro Mariño de Lobera (1528–1594) was a Galician soldier, conquistador and chronicler of the Arauco War in the Captaincy General of Chile.
Biography
A professional soldier who served in the war between Spain and France, he went to the Americ ...
br>
Crónica del Reino de Chile, escrita por el capitán Pedro Mariño de Lobera....reducido a nuevo método y estilo por el Padre Bartolomé de Escobar. Edición digital a partir de Crónicas del Reino de Chile Madrid, Atlas, 1960, pp. 227-562, (Biblioteca de Autores Españoles ; 569-575). Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes (on line in Spanish)
''The Geographical, Natural, and Civil History of Chili''by Don Juan Ignatius Molina, Longman, Hurst, Rees, and Orme, Paternoster-Row, London, 1809]
*
See also
*
History of Chile
The territory of Chile has been populated since at least 3000 BC. By the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors began to colonize the region of present-day Chile, and the territory was a colony between 1540 and 1818, when it gained independence from ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colocolo
Indigenous leaders of the Americas
16th-century Mapuche people
People of the Arauco War
Lonkos
Characters in La Araucana