The Battle of Reynogüelén took place between Spanish

conquistadors Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

and

Mapuche The Mapuche ( , ) also known as Araucanians are a group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging e ...

soldiers, thought to have occurred near the confluence of the Ñuble and

Itata River The Itata River flows in the Ñuble Region, southern Chile. Until the Conquest of Chile, the Itata was the natural limit between the Mapuche The Mapuche ( , ) also known as Araucanians are a group of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indi ...

s, in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

. This battle is an antecedent of the

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

History

Diego de Almagro Diego de Almagro (; – July 8, 1538), also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo, was a Spanish conquistador known for his exploits in western South America. He participated with Francisco Pizarro in the Spanish conquest of Peru. While subduing ...

, after reaching the

Mapocho The River Mapocho () (Mapudungun: ''Mapu chuco'', "water that penetrates the land") is a river in Chile. It flows from its source in the Andes mountains onto the west and divides Chile's capital Santiago, Chile, Santiago in two. Course The Mapoc ...

Valley in 1536, sent Gómez de Alvarado with an expedition of 200 Spaniards, 100 cavalry and 100 foot, with a large group of

Indian auxiliaries Indian auxiliaries, also known in the sources as ''Indios amigos'' (), were those indigenous peoples of the Americas who allied with Spain and fought alongside the conquistadors during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. These auxiliari ...

, to the south of Chile with the mission of exploring the country to the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Considered the most important natura ...

. The group advanced without encountering much resistance from the

Promaucaes Promaucae, also spelled as ''Promaucas'' or ''Purumaucas'' (from Quechua ''purum awqa'': wild enemy), were an Indigenous pre-Columbian Mapuche tribal group that lived in the present territory of Chile, south of the Maipo River basin of Santiago, Ch ...

. After crossing the Itata River they were intercepted by a numerous contingent of

Mapuches The Mapuche ( , ) also known as Araucanians 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 group ...

, perhaps as many as 24,000, armed with many bows and pikes. The Mapuches launched a number of assaults which were successfully repulsed by the Spanish. Frustrated by these reverses and by disorientation caused by the horses, iron weapons, and armour of the conquistadors (all of which were previously unknown to the Mapuches), the natives retreated, leaving many dead and more than one hundred prisoners.Lobera, Cap. VI "... poner a recaudo a los indios que en la batalla habían preso, los cuales eran más de ciento,... " The Spanish lost only two men but others were hurt. Discouraged by the ferocity of the Mapuches, and the apparent lack of gold and silver in these lands, Gómez de Alvarado decided to return and inform Almagro what had happened. This battle had a strong influence on Almagro's entire expedition, and motivated, in part, its full retreat the following year to

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

References

Sources

* de Góngora Marmolejo, Alonso
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))
University of Chile: Document Collections in complete texts: Cronicles (on line in Spanish) ** Cap. II. De cómo el adelantado don Diego de Almagro vino al descubrimiento de Chile y por dónde se descubrió * Mariño de Lobera, Pedro
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) ** Capítulo VI De la entrada ......Gómez de Alvarado......descubrir lo que había en la Tierra adentro y de una sangrienta batalla que tuvo con los bárbaros * Carvallo y Goyeneche, Vicente
Descripcion Histórico Geografía del Reino de Chile (Description Historical Geography of the Kingdom of Chile)
University of Chile: Document Collections in complete texts: Cronicles (on line in Spanish) ** Tomo I, Capítulo I. Descubrimiento de Chile i entrada de los españoles en él. {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynoguelen, Battle Of Conflicts in 1536 1536 in South America 1536 in the Spanish Empire Battles involving Spain Battles involving the Mapuche 1536 in the Viceroyalty of Peru