The Salazar brothers were

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, Cana ...

criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish race-based colonial caste system (the European descendants) Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South Ameri ...

s who played important roles in mid-17th century affairs in the

Captaincy General of Chile The Captaincy General of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ) or Governorate of Chile (known colloquially and unofficially as the Kingdom of Chile), was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1817 that was, for most of its existenc ...

. They became infamous for their slave hunting expeditions, corruption and role in unleashing the

Mapuche uprising of 1655 The Mapuche uprising of 1655 ( es, alzamiento mapuche de 1655 or ) was a series of coordinated Mapuche attacks against Spanish settlements and forts in colonial Chile. It was the worst military crisis in Chile in decades, and contemporaries even ...

. *Juan de Salazar was a

maestre de campo ''Maestre de campo'' was a rank created in 1534 by the Emperor Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Carlos V, inferior in rank only to the ''captain general, capitán general'' and acted as a chief of staff. He was chosen by the monarch in the Council o ...

known for organizing the 1654 slave hunting expedition that ended in his defeat in the

Battle of Río Bueno A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. He organized a new expedition next year and was with about 2,000–2,400 men near Mariquina when the 1655 uprising begun. He killed 6,000 of his own army's horses as to avoid them being captured by Mapuches and then advanced quickly to

Valdivia Valdivia (; Mapuche: Ainil) is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder Pedro de Valdivia and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau R ...

where he embarked with 360 soldiers to Concepción.Barros Arana 2000, p. 356. *José de Salazar (d. 1655) was military who commanded the Spanish garrison at Nacimiento when the uprising of 1655 begun. He died as he evacuated the garrison of Nacimiento down Bío Bío River in three vessels that ran aground near

Santa Juana Santa Juana is a city and commune of the Concepción Province in the Bío Bío Region of Chile. It lies south and west of the Biobío River in the valley of Catirai and is 48 kilometers from Concepción, Chile. History The Mapuche originall ...

. As the overcrowded rafts ran aground thousands of Mapuche warriors that had followed them on both shores massacred all of the Spanish.Pinochet ''et al''., 1997, p. 80. *A priest in Concepción. He went into hiding from popular discontent that arose in Concepción as a consequence of the uprising.Barros Arana 2000, p. 356. *Juana de Salazar was the wife of governor Antonio de Acuña Cabrera. She is said to have manipulated the governor to advance the interest of her family. She interfered with the governor's investigation on her brothers behaviour during the campaign that led to the defeat at the

.Barros Arana 2000, p. 357. She selected witnesses that declared favourable opinions of Juan de Salazar. The results of the investigation not only justified Juan de Salazar's conduct but called for him to be granted the command of an even larger army to chastise the Cuncos and allow him to recover his

honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of socia ...

.Barros Arana 2000, p. 358.

References

Bibliography

* *{{Cite book, title=Historia militar de Chile, last=Pinochet Ugarte, first=Augusto, publisher=Biblioteca Militar, year=1997, last2=Villaroel Carmona, first2=Rafael, last3=Lepe Orellana, first3=Jaime, last4=Fuente-Alba Poblete, first4=J. Miguel, last5=Fuenzalida Helms, first5=Eduardo, edition=3rd, language=es, author-link=Augusto Pinochet, author-link4=Juan Miguel Fuente-Alba People from Concepción, Chile People of the Arauco War Sibling groups 17th-century Chilean people