The Parliament of Las Canoas ( es, Parlamento de Las Canoas) was a diplomatic meeting between
Mapuche-Huilliches and
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 ...
authorities in 1793 held at the confluence of
Rahue River
Rahue River () is a river of Chile located in Los Lagos Region. It rises at the western end of the Rupanco Lake. In its middle course, the river flows through the city of Osorno in a north-south direction. Rahue river empties into the Bueno River ...
and
Damas River near what is today the city of
Osorno.
The parliament was summoned by the
Royal Governor of Chile
The Royal Governor of Chile ruled over the 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 were 66 such governors or captains du ...
Ambrosio O'Higgins
Ambrosio Bernardo O'Higgins y O'Higgins, 1st Marquess of Osorno (c. 1720 – 19 March 1801) born Ambrose Bernard O'Higgins (''Ambrós Bearnárd Ó hUiginn'', in Irish), was an Irish-Spanish colonial administrator and a member of the O'Higgins fa ...
after the Spanish had suppressed an
uprising by the Mapuche-Huilliches of Ranco and Río Bueno in 1792.
The parliament is historically relevant since the treaty signed at the end of the meeting allowed the Spanish to reestablish the city of Osorno and secure the transit rights between
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 ...
and the
Spanish mainland settlements near
Chiloé Archipelago
The Chiloé Archipelago ( es, Archipiélago de Chiloé, , ) is a group of islands lying off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and t ...
. The indigenous signatories recognized the king of Spain as their sovereign but they kept considerable autonomy in the lands they did not ceded.
[ The treaty is unique in that it was the first time Mapuches formally ceded territory to the Spanish.][
The Mapuche-Huilliche leaders summoned by the Spanish to the parliament where those whose lands were to affected by the Spanish proposal. The Mapuche-Huilliche leaders present in the parliament were Catrihuala, Iñil, Caniu, Calfuguir, Ancaguir, Colin, Naguinguir and Pichi Huaiquipan plus the messengers of the Cunco Paylapan.] The caciques Juan Queipul and José Antitipay, who belonged to the area, were not present at the parliament since they were in Santiago
Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
where they held a small parliament with Ambrosio O'Higgins in person. The issues to be dealt with were the same as in Las Canoas.[
]
Background
Beginning in the mid-18th century the Spanish enclave of 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 ...
begun a period of agricultural expansion. The expansion, that mainly directed to the south, was done mostly by pacific means, but hostilities with indigenous Huilliches did occur.[ The expansion of Valdivia included a process of mestization and the purchasing of indigenous lands by ]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 and transformation of previous indigenous proprietors into inquilino
In historic Chilean agriculture an inquilino is a labourer indebted to a landlord who allows him to form a farm in parts of his property (usually in the marginal lands to keep away intruders) and who in exchange works without pay for the landlord. ...
s. In contrast the Spanish settlement at Chiloé Archipelago had a history of conflicts with the indigenous peoples north of the archipelago. After the Valdivian colonization had reached Bueno River
Bueno River (Spanish: ''Río Bueno'') is a river in southern Chile. It originates in Ranco Lake and like most of Chile rivers it drains into the Pacific Ocean at the southern boundary of the Valdivian Coastal Reserve. Its lower flow forms the bo ...
Spanish authorities pushed for connecting the city of Valdivia with the settlements at Chacao Channel
The Chacao Channel ( es, Canal de Chacao) is located in Los Lagos Region, Chile and separates Chiloé Island from mainland Chile. The channel was created during the Quaternary glaciations by successive glaciers that flowed down from the Andes to ...
by a road. This way the Spanish authorities hoped to make its possible for Valdivia and Chiloé to offer each other mutual aid in the case of an invasion by a European power.
Notes
References
{{Mapuche
Las Canoas
1793 in the Captaincy General of Chile
History of Los Lagos Region
Huilliche history