182 



r II I LI. 



. _. 



Ter art 



W.I re- 

 ceived in 

 the north- 

 ern pro- 

 vince*. 



I'rucity of 



Almagro. 



JUttte with 

 the Pro- 

 rucciim. 



Cujco with J70 Spaniards, and 15,000 Peru- 

 vian auxiliaries -ranees of 



.lilleras, to 



the other more distant, but, at that season, leas danger- 

 ous entrance, by the desert of Atacama. L'nfortunate- 

 -, winter had already commenced when they 

 i cached ihe Cordillera Nevada, and, in the course of their 

 passage, the snow fell in such abundance, and the cold 

 became so intense and overpowering, that not U-L.J than 

 10,000 Peruvians, with 150 Spaniards, perished in the 

 rnarc'.i ; the rest were happily extricated by the activity 

 of their leader. Almagro with a few horse having leach- 

 ed the plain, procured- assistance and provisions for his 

 exhausted soldier*. 



They were received in Copiapo with the most be- 

 nevolent hospitality, and, in a short time, were com- 

 pletely recovered of their fatigues. The northern pro- 

 vinces had been subdued, and were still tributary to 

 the Peruvians ; and here the Spaniards were unexpected- 

 ly gratified by the distribution of 500,000 ducats, which 

 Paulu, the Peruvian leader, well acquainted with the 

 views and disposition of hia associates, had exacted from 

 the inhabitants, and presented to Almagro. This pre- 

 sent gave a strong impression of tike riches of Chili, and 

 animated the soldier) in the prosecution of their enter. 

 prize. 



Before leaving Copiapo, they were joined by rein- 

 forcements from Peru ; and, in their progress south- 

 wards, were every .where treated by the natives with 

 liberality and respect. They were even regarded as 

 beings of a higher nature, more allied to divinity thun 

 to the common race of mortals. This convenient per- 

 suasion was as industriously propagated aa it was cre- 

 dulously believed. But we must here notice an occur- 

 rence, which served, in no small degree, to undeceive the 

 deluded inhabitants, and to develope, in its true light, 

 the character of their new friends. Two stragglers from 

 the Spanish army being put to death, and we may sup- 

 pose not without sufficient grounds for the severity, by 

 the people of Guasco, Almagro instantly proceeded to 

 take a cruel vengeance on the offenders. He arrested 

 the Ulmen or governor of the guilty district, his brother, 

 and twenty more of the principal inhabitants ; all these, 

 together with an usurper of Copiapo, whom he had 

 lately deposed, were at his command, without even the 

 formality of justice, committed at once to the flames. 

 This conduct of Almagro did not pass without censure ; 

 even his own Spaniards were displeased, and openly re- 

 probated the barbarity of their leader. Familiar as they 

 had long been with robbery and slaughter, some were 

 still found among them, who had not utterly renounced 

 all the sympathies of humanity. 



Almagro now entered the country of the Promaucians. 

 That gallant people had on a former occasion successful- 

 ly resisted all the efforts of Peru. At the first appear- 

 ance of the Spaniards, they stood amazed and confound- 

 ed. The Spanish horses were the first they had ever 

 beheld ; but still more wonderful were the mysterious 

 weapons which these strangers brought along with 

 them. They were surprised, but not intimidated ; and 

 both armies drew up for battle, on the shore of the Rio 

 Claro. The Peruvians, whom Almagro had posted in 

 front, were soon broken and routed, and fell back with 

 tevor on the Spanish line. The Spaniards themselves 

 were able with difficulty to sustain the furious attack ; 

 they were not a little astonished at the resolute v..K>ur 

 and fearless impetuosity of their new assailants. The 

 struggle was obstinate, bloody, and doubtful, and night 

 alone put an end to it. The Promaucians, howerer, re- 



maiued in sight of their formidable cnrmy, with a deter. 

 miuation to renew the fight next morning. The Spa- 

 niards kept the field, and claimed ;h-- \;c'n:y ; b^t a vic- 

 tory of such penlous achievement they had neither expect- 

 ed nor desired, and they were now fully persuaded of 

 uh.;t indeed the Peruvians had before warned them, that 

 the country of this people \vai not to be won by the 

 force of prejudice alone, but by arms and valour, fatigue 

 and bloodshed. 



It is seldom that men have resolution patiently to un- 

 dergo toil and danger in the atttmi.-v.-iit of an object, 

 when their anticipations had prepared them for neither. 

 So it happened with the Spanian . : ... . resolved una- 

 nimously to abandon the enterprise. Some of them, in- 

 deed, expressed a desire to remain in the country, and 

 form a settlement in the northern provinces, where the 

 natives were of a milder and less warlike disposition. At 

 the request however of their lead.-r, they unanimously 

 returned with him to Cusco, in order to support him in 

 his pretensions to that city. Cutco was included in tin- 

 grant of territory, which had lately been conferred upon 

 Almagro by the court of Spam ; but his rival Pizarro, 

 in whose power it then was, could not be persuaded to 

 abandon so rich a possession. Almagro fell in the con- 

 test, and his soldiers were scattered over Peru. 



Notwithstanding the failure of the last expedition to 



Chili, an obiect su tempting was not thus to be relin- 



T/ .- n 



quuhcd. rizarro, now sole master of Peru, was convm- 



ced of its importance, and resolved upon another attempt. 

 For this purpose, he commissioned his own quarter-mas- 

 ter Pedro de Vaklivia, to the exclusion of de Hoz and 

 Carmargo, who had been nominated by the court of 

 Spain. Valdivia had served in Italy, was possessed of 

 courage, prudence, and activity, and, as an officer, was 

 accounted one of the ablest among the Spanish adventu- 

 rers. Before leaving Peru, he provided himself with all 

 the requisites of a colony, and having crossed the Cor- 

 dilleras in summer, entered Chili without loss, at the head 

 of 2000 Spaniards, with a large body of Peruvians. 



Almagro had been well received in these northern pro- 

 vinces, chiefly through the influence and authority of his 

 Peruvian confederates. The inhabitants, however, no 

 longer considered themselves as subject to Peru, which 

 they now understood to be itself a conquered kingdom ; 

 and they were likewise better acquainted with the Spa- 

 nish character. It was no longer veiled under the impi- 

 ous and imposing title of divinity. The period of delu- 

 sion had pawed away, and these iniquitous invaders stood 

 naked and exposed in all their startling deformity. The 

 natives were every where in arms to repel the intrusion ; 

 and had their power equalled the animosity with which it 

 was exerted, they must have succeeded in the end ; but 

 their weapons and their discipline were alike incompe- 

 tent. Their most powerful efforts were weak, desulto- 

 ry, .md ineffectual, and ^t best served rather to harass 

 than destroy. Unguidrd and tumultuous, they made 

 but littk- impressiou on the steady valour of their more 

 skilful opponents ; and the Spaniards, though frequently 

 interrupted, continued their march, and penetrated into 

 the country, as far ad the river Mapocho. It was in 

 this rich and beautiful province, that Valdivia resolved, 

 if possible, to effect a seitlement. He laid the foun- 

 dation of Si Jago, ai d immediately erected a strong 

 citad'-l for its protection. It was not long before this 

 cautious measure proved the safety of the colonists. The 

 Sp..niunh were resolved to effect in Chili what they had 

 so crn-l : y accomplished in Mexico and Peru : they had 

 dete. mined to make its free inhabitants the instruments 

 of their avarice, and, in this manner, to subject them to 







The Spa- 

 i" r< l r - 



U' c r 'J, to 



Second ex- 



P"','." " ' 

 Chili undrr 

 p c( i ro <j e 



Vaidivia, 



Helaystkc 

 foundation 



j , 



ge5se5t ) c 



Mapocbi- 



