La Frontera is a name used 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 ...

to refer to the region around the Bío Bío River, or to the whole area between it and the Toltén River. The use of this latter definition is largely coterminous with the historical usage of Araucanía. The term was coined during the period when the region was the frontier of the

Captaincy General of Chile The General Captaincy of Chile (''Capitanía General de Chile'' ), Governorate of Chile, or Kingdom of Chile, was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818 that was, initially, part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It comprised most of mod ...

, then a part of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

and later the

Republic of 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 Mountains and the Pacific Oce ...

, with the

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 ...

people inhabiting the Araucanía following their revolt in 1598. Subsequently, the Spanish Empire established a system of forts between the Bío Bío River and the Itata River, as well as some within the Araucanía. This system continued through the 18th century and into the 19th century.

Forts and settlements of La Frontera

The first fortress rebuilt following the 1599 destruction of the forts in Catirai and its city Santa Cruz de Coya, the cities of Santa María la Blanca de Valdivia, San Andrés de Los Infantes and San Bartolomé de Chillán y Gamboa, was the reconstruction of the city of Chillán by the interim

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Francisco de Quiñónez.

17th century

In 1601 Alonso de Ribera built Fort Talcahuano to defend remaining Spanish settlements near Concepción and Fort Lonquén on the Lonquén River to secure estancias that provided food to the army. In 1602 Ribera rebuilt the small Fort Colcura and Fort Guanaraque and built a new fort, Santa Fe near the confluence of the Bio Bio and Vergara Rivers. On the coast Ribera sent captain Francisco Hernández Ortiz to establish a fort

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 ...

on the site of the ruined city but it had to be abandoned by the starving remnant of its garrison after a terrible two-year siege. In 1603 Ribera built Fort Chepe and

Fort San Pedro Fort San Pedro () is a military defense structure in Cebu, Philippines, built by the Spanish under the command of Miguel López de Legazpi, first governor of the Captaincy General of the Philippines. It is located in the area now called Plaz ...

to cover the crossing at the mouth of the Bio Bio River. He rebuilt San Felipe de Araucan and Santa Margarita de Austria on the coast between the

aillarehue Aillarehue or Ayllarehue (from the Mapudungun: ayllarewe/ayjarewe: "nine rehues"); a confederation of rehues or family-based units (lof) that dominated a region or province. It was the old administrative and territorial division of the Mapuche, H ...

s of Arauco and Tucapel and a fort at

Tucapel Tucapel is a town and commune in the Bío Bío Province, Bío Bío Region, Chile. It was once a region of Araucanía named for the Tucapel River. The name of the region derived from the rehue and aillarehue of the Moluche people of the ar ...

and Paicavi on the Paicavi River. Also in the same year to the east along the Bio Bio River facing the aillarehues of Catirai and

Purén Purén is a List of cities in Chile, city (2002 pop. 12,868) and Communes of Chile, commune in Malleco Province of La Araucanía Region, Chile. It is located in the west base of the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta (650 km. south of Santiago). The ec ...

, he rebuilt Santa Lucia de Yumbel and built the forts of Nuestra Señora de la Buena Esperanza, San Rosendo, Nuestra de Senora de Halle, Nacimiento de Nuestro Señor and San Francisco de Borja. The refugees from the abandoned city of Osorno under captain Francisco Hernández founded Fort Calbuco on a channel between the

Reloncaví Sound Reloncaví Sound or ''Seno de Reloncaví'' is a body of water immediately south of Puerto Montt, a port city in the Los Lagos Region of Chile. It is the place where the Chilean Central Valley meets the Pacific Ocean. The Calbuco Archipelago comp ...

and the Gulf of Ancud. In 1606, Alonso García de Ramón built Fort San Ignacio de la Redención near Boroa but it was abandoned soon after the ambush of most of its garrison. In 1607 García de Ramón rebuilt Fort

and San Jerónimo de Millapoa but as a result of a peace agreement with the Moluche of Catirai he soon dismantled the later. In 1611 Luis Merlo de la Fuente built fort '' San Luis de Angol'' a little to the south of the old city of Angol. In 1613 Alonso de Ribera built Fort Virguenco in the upper part of the Rehue River and rebuilt the fort at Puren again. In 1621, Cristóbal de la Cerda y Sotomayor rebuilt the fort of Yumbel the same year it was destroyed. He also built fort San Cristóbal de La Paz and fortified the town around the fort San Bartolomé de Chillán. In 1622, Pedro Osores de Ulloa built Fort Negrete. 8 March 1626, Luis Fernandez de Cordova established Santa Juana de Guadalcazar. In 1637, Francisco Laso de la Vega established fort '' San Francisco de la Vega'' near the ruined site of the city of Angol, abandoning fort ''San Luis de Angol''. In 1641, all the Spanish forts south of the Bio Bio were abandoned under the terms of the Peace of Quilín. In 1647, Martín de Mujica y Buitrón as a result of the Parliament of Quilín (1647) was able to reestablish forts at

, Santa Juana in 1648, and at Boroa in 1649. In 1657

Pedro Porter Casanate Pedro Porter y Casanate (April 30, 1611 – February 27, 1662) was a Spanish Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator who served as the Royal Governor of Chile from 1656 to 1662. Early life Porter was born in Zaragoza, the second son of ...

restored the city of San Bartolomé de Chillán following its destruction at the beginning of the Mapuche Insurrection of 1655. He also built forts San Rafael de Coelemu and San Fabián de Conueo northeast of Concepcion. Meanwhile, captain Alonso de Cordova y Figueroa built Fort Tolpán at the confluence of the Renaico and Vergara Rivers. In 1661 Governor Porter Casanate built fort '' San Miguel Arcángel de Colcura'' near modern Lota and a fort at Talcamávida. In 1662 Ángel de Peredo established a new city of Santa Maria de Guadalupe and repopulated Arauco lost in 1655. In 1663 Paredo rebuilt fort San Cristóbal de La Paz. In 1665 Francisco de Meneses Brito established fort San Carlos de Virhuenco on the upper Rehue River and rebuilt forts Nacimiento de Nuestro Señor and Puren. In 1666 Meneses built fort Santa Fe and Fort de la Encarnación in Repucura. He also rebuilt San Carlos de Austria de Yumbel. In 1693 Tomás Marín de Poveda rebuilt fort Buena Esperanza de Rere. In 1694 Marín de Poveda restored Fort de la Encarnación and a Mission in Repucura. In 1695 Marín de Poveda built fort Santo Tomás de Colhué.

18th century

In 1724 Gabriel Cano de Aponte rebuilt forts Nacimiento, Santa Juana de Guadalcázar and Santo Tomás de Colhué. He transferred from

Arauco Province Arauco Province () is one of three provinces of the Chilean region of Bío Bío. It spans a coastal area of just south of the mouth of the Biobío River, the traditional demarcation between the nation's major natural regions, Zona Central and ...

the garrison and inhabitants of Plaza de San Diego de Tucapel to the bank of the Laja River near the Andes where a new fort of the same name was built. In 1739, José Antonio Manso de Velasco founded

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles. In 1749 fort Nacimiento was moved to the present site of the modern town of Nacimiento. In 1756, Manuel de Amat y Juniet founded fort Santa Bárbara and established the towns of San Rafael de Talcamavida and San Juan Bautista de Gualqui In 1757 Amat y Juniet made Nacimiento a town. In 1764 Antonio de Guill y Gonzaga established Fort Repucura and a mission at Repucura once again. In 1777, the then military engineer Ambrosio O' Higgins, constructed for Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa, a fort San Agustín de Mesamávida. In 1788 Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins built Fort Príncipe Carlos on the Duqueco River. In 1792 the forces of Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins under Tomás de Figueroa took possession of the site of the city of Osorno ruined in 1602, and constructed a fort there. O'Higgins reestablished it as a city in 1796.

Sources

* Diego de Rosales, ''Historia General del Reino de Chile, Flandes Indiano'', 3 tomos. Valparaíso 1877–1878. *
Historia general de el Reyno de Chile: Flandes Indiano Vol. 2 Libro V La Ruina de las Siete Ciudades
* Crescente Errázuriz
''Seis años de la historia de Chile: 23 de diciembre de 1598- 9 de abril de 1605: memoria histórica''
Impr. Nacional, Sanitiago de Chile, 1881.
''Atlas de Historia de Chile''
Editorial Universitaria, pp. 54–55
Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga y Cienfuegos, ''Diccionario geográfico de la República de Chile''
D. Appleton y Compania, Nueva York, 1899 {{DEFAULTSORT:Frontera (Chile), La Geography of Araucanía Region Geography of Biobío Region Geography of Chile History of the Captaincy General of Chile La Frontera (geographical region) History of Araucanía Region History of Biobío Region Marches (country subdivision)

Forts and settlements of La Frontera

17th century

18th century

See also

Sources