Conquest of Chile
Year Date Event
1540 December Pedro de Valdivia takes possession of Chile in the name of the King of Spain
1541 February 12 Santiago is founded
1541 September 11 Destruction of Santiago . Michimalonco leads a Picunche attack on Santiago , the city is severely damaged but the attack is repelled
1544 September 4 La Serena is founded by Juan Bohón
1549 January 11 La Serena is destroyed by natives
1549 August 26 La Serena is refounded
1551 October 5 Concepción is founded
1552 San Felipe de Rauco , La Imperial and Villarrica are founded
1552 February 9 The city of Valdivia is founded by Pedro de Valdivia
1553 Los Confines is founded
1553 December 25 The battle of Tucapel takes place , governor Pedro de Valdivia is killed after the battle
1554 February 23 The battle of Marihueñu takes place , Concepción is abandoned and destroyed
1554 October 17 Jerónimo de Alderete is appointed governor of Chile in Spain by the king but dies on his journey to Chile
1557 April 1 Francisco de Villagra defeats the Mapuches and kills their leader Lautaro at the battle of Mataquito
1557 April 23 The new governor García Hurtado de Mendoza arrives in La Serena
1557 June García Hurtado de Mendoza arrives in the bay of Concepcion and builds a fort at Penco , then defeats the Mapuche army trying to dislodge him
1557 October 10 García Hurtado de Mendoza defeats the Mapuche army in the Battle of Lagunillas
1557 November 7 García Hurtado de Mendoza defeats Caupolicán in the Millarupe
1558 January 11 Cañete founded by Mendoza
1558 February 5 Pedro de Avendaño captured the Mapuche toqui Caupolicán , later executed by impalement in Cañete
Timeline of events
The Conquest of Chile is a period in Chilean historiography that starts with the arrival of Pedro de Valdivia to Chile in 1541 and ends with the death of Martín García Óñez de Loyola in the Battle of Curalaba in 1598, and the destruction of the Seven Cities in 1598-1604 in the Araucanía region. This was the period of Spanish conquest of territories, founding of cities, establishment of the Captaincy General of Chile, and defeats ending its further colonial expansion southwards. The Arauco War continued, and the Spanish were never able to recover their short control in Araucanía south of the Bío Bío River.