Diego de Almagro had left for the south in 1533, sent by Francisco Pizarro, who hoped that he would leave his remains there, since he knew the ferocity of the Indians of the region, where not even the Incas had been able to penetrate.>
Almagro left Cuzco, entered Chile from the north and founded the city of Copiapó before reaching the Maule River, the border that the Incas did not cross. After bloody struggles, not finding the desired gold and given the poverty of the area, he returned to Peru.
Expedition to Chile
Francisco Pizarro, already in power in Peru, organized another expedition in 1538, at the head of which he placed a soldier from the Italian wars and his countryman, Pedro de Valdivia, who, with about one hundred and fifty soldiers and supplies, entered Chile. After eleven months of marching and fighting, he founded the city of Santiago del Nuevo Extremo, the future capital of Chile. Defeat the Mapuche , who destroy Copiapó and Santiago. Not obtaining benefits from his company, Valdivia returns to put himself under the protection of Pedro de La Gasca after founding other cities.
Spanish defeat
The tribes of the region recovered and elected as chief or toqui (Araucano cacique) to Lautaro, who had been a page of Valdivia and knew European tactics. On the Tucapel plain, he defeated the Spanish, captured Valdivia, tortured him, killed him and performed an act of ritual collective cannibalism on him (1553).
Conquest of Chile
He was succeeded in command by Francisco de Villagrán, who defeated the Indians, Lautaro, before falling prisoner, ordered his men to kill him.
The conquest of southern Chile up to the Strait of Magellan was concluded by García Hurtado de Mendoza, who faced the Araucanos , led by Caupolicán, a feat that originated the poem La Araucana , written by Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga.