La Frontera is a name used in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

to refer to the region around the Bío Bío River, or to the whole area between there and the

Toltén River Toltén River is a river located in the La Araucanía Region of Chile. It rises at Villarrica Lake, close to the city of the same name. Its major tributary is the Allipén River. From its confluence with the Allipén, the river follows a braided ...

. 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 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 ...

, then a part of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire ( es, link=no, Imperio español), also known as the Hispanic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Hispánica) or the Catholic Monarchy ( es, link=no, Monarquía Católica) was a colonial empire governed by Spain and its prede ...

and later the

Republic of Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, with the

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 ...

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 The Itata River flows in the Ñuble Region, southern Chile. Until the Conquest of Chile, the Itata was the natural limit between the Mapuche, located to the south, and Picunche, to the north. See also *Itata *List of rivers in Chile This list o ...

, 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 Catirai or Catiray is the region of the Moluche Aillarehue of Catiray in old Araucanía. It is now the Santa Juana commune of the Concepción Province and the Nacimiento commune of the Bío Bío Province of the Bío Bío Region, of Chile. It ...

and its city

Santa Cruz de Coya Santa Cruz de Coya was a city established by the governor of Chile Martín García Oñez de Loyola on the site of the fort of Santa Cruz de Oñez, in 1595. It was named for his wife Beatriz Clara Coya, a member of the royal Incan house. The Mapuc ...

, the cities of Valdivia, Chile, Santa María la Blanca de Valdivia, Angol, San Andrés de Los Infantes and Chillán Viejo, San Bartolomé de Chillán y Gamboa, was the reconstruction of the city of Chillán by the interim Royal Governor of Chile, Governor Francisco de Quiñónez.

17th century

In 1601 Alonso de Ribera built Fort Talcahuano to defend remaining Spanish settlements near Penco, 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 Jesus de Huenuraquí, Fort Guanaraque and built a new fort, Santa Fe (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, Chile, Valdivia 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 San Pedro de la Paz, Fort San Pedro to cover the crossing at the mouth of the Bio Bio River. He rebuilt Arauco, Chile, San Felipe de Araucan and Lebu, Chile, Santa Margarita de Austria on the coast between the aillarehues of Arauco and Tucapel and a fort at Tucapel and Paicavi(fort), Paicavi on the Paicavi River. Also in the same year to the east along the Bio Bio River facing the aillarehues of

and Purén, he rebuilt Yumbel, Santa Lucia de Yumbel and built the forts of Rere, Chile, Nuestra Señora de la Buena Esperanza, San Rosendo, Nuestra de Senora de Halle, Nacimiento, Chile, Nacimiento de Nuestro Señor and Negrete, San Francisco de Borja. The refugees from the abandoned city of Osorno, Chile, Osorno under captain Francisco Hernández founded Fort Calbuco on a channel between the Reloncaví Sound 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 Purén 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 ''Angol, 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 Negrete, Fort Negrete. 8 March 1626, Luis Fernandez de Cordova established Santa Juana, Chile, Santa Juana de Guadalcazar. In 1637, Francisco Laso de la Vega established fort ''Angol, 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 Valdivia, Chile, Valdivia, Santa Juana, Chile, Santa Juana in 1648, and at Boroa in 1649. In 1657 Pedro Porter Casanate restored the city of San Bartolomé de Chillán following its destruction at the beginning of the Mapuche Insurrection of 1655. He also built forts Rafael, Chile, 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 River, Renaico and Vergara Rivers. In 1661 Governor Porter Casanate built fort ''San Miguel Arcángel de Colcura'' near modern Lota, Chile, Lota and a fort at Talcamávida. In 1662 Ángel de Peredo established a new city of Santa Maria de Guadalupe and repopulated Arauco, Chile, Arauco lost in 1655. In 1663 Paredo rebuilt fort San Cristóbal de La Paz. In 1665 Francisco de Meneses Brito established fort Fort Virguenco, 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 (fort), Santa Fe and Fort de la Encarnación in Repucura. He also rebuilt Yumbel, San Carlos de Austria de Yumbel. In 1693 Tomás Marín de Poveda rebuilt fort Rere, Chile, 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 Angol, Santo Tomás de Colhué.

18th century

In 1724 Gabriel Cano de Aponte rebuilt forts Nacimiento, Santa Juana, Chile, Santa Juana de Guadalcázar and Santo Tomás de Colhué. He transferred from Arauco Province the garrison and inhabitants of Tucapel, 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 Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles. In 1749 fort Nacimiento was moved to the present site of the modern town of Nacimiento, Chile, Nacimiento. In 1756, Manuel de Amat y Juniet founded fort Santa Bárbara, Chile, Santa Bárbara and established the towns of Talcamávida, San Rafael de Talcamavida and Hualqui, San Juan Bautista de Gualqui In 1757 Amat y Juniet made Nacimiento a town. In 1764 Antonio de Guill y Gonzaga established Fort de la Encarnación, Fort Repucura and a mission at Repucura once again. In 1777, the then military engineer Ambrosio O'Higgins, Marquis of Osorno, Ambrosio O' Higgins, constructed for Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa, a fort Negrete, 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, Chile, 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 {{Coord, 34, 41, S, 71, 02, W, display=title, region:CL_type:landmark_source:GNS-enwiki Geography of Araucanía Region Geography of Biobío Region Geography of Chile History of Chile Fortifications in Chile, La Frontera (geographical region) History of Araucanía Region History of Biobío Region Marches (country subdivision)