Huilliche uprising of 1792

Background

From the mid-18th century, the Spanish enclave of Valdivia expanded agriculturally, mainly southward and mostly peacefully, though hostilities with Huilliches occurred. In 1758, Huilliche chief Huarán requested Spanish soldiers to defend his lands against Cunco enemies, leading Governor of Valdivia Ambrosio Sáes de Bustamante to respond, resulting in the second Battle of Río Bueno in 1759. Views on the battle's outcome differ: Diego Barros Arana considered it a Spanish victory, while another view holds that chiefs Catrillanca and Paidil halted further Spanish advance.

The expansion involved racial mixing, land purchases by Europeans, and the transformation of indigenous proprietors into bonded labourers. Spanish authorities later sought to connect Valdivia with settlements at Chacao Channel via a road to enable mutual defense against European invasion. In the 1780s, Governor of Valdivia Mariano Pusterla and Intendant of Chiloé Francisco Hurtado del Pino disagreed on approach, with Hurtado del Pino favoring military confrontation and Pusterla rejecting it. After Hurtado del Pino was replaced by Francisco Garos, cooperation ensued.

In October 1788, Pusterla sent an expedition across Huilliche territory to Chiloé, which succeeded and returned by February 1789. Pusterla then arranged to widen the road, and in a meeting with local Cuncos and Huilliches, he assured that the road would not lead to reestablishment of Osorno. Safe transit thereafter depended on local goodwill.

Uprising

According to Diego Barros Arana, the uprising was catalyzed by a rumour spread by an Indian named Felipe, who claimed to have obtained a letter from the Governor of Valdivia to the head of the Río Bueno mission, revealing a plan to lull the Indians into peace and then kill their warriors to enslave them. The uprising began in September 1792 with assaults on Spanish settlers in Río Bueno and Lago Ranco, including house burnings, animal theft, and the killing of ten Spanish settlers. Spanish messengers and priests were caught off guard and killed.

Refugees fled north to Valdivia. On 3 October, a detachment under Tomás de Figueroa departed Valdivia along the Futa River. At Daglipulli, the militia absorbed 22 stationed soldiers to reach 104 men. Upon reaching the conflict zone, local Huilliches presented themselves as friends; deeming this a tactic, Figueroa executed cacique Manquepán, his two sons, and seventeen of his men, who rejected baptism.

Women and children were taken into custody, and animals confiscated. The militia crossed the Bueno River and advanced slowly through heavy rains, obstacles, and minor ambushes, reaching the ruins of Osorno on November 22. The campaign ravaged Huilliche territory until returning to Valdivia on January 14, 1793.

Aftermath

After the suppression of the uprising, Royal Governor of Chile Ambrosio O'Higgins summoned local chiefs to the Parliament of Las Canoas. The treaty signed there allowed the Spanish to reestablish Osorno and secure transit rights between Valdivia and the Spanish settlements near Chiloé Archipelago. The indigenous signatories recognized the Spanish king as sovereign but retained considerable autonomy in lands not ceded.