Occupation of the Araucanía (1860-1883) – an editorial from El Mercurio

“Someter el territorio de Arauco o reducir a la obediencia a sus bárbaros moradores, sería hacer triunfar la causa de la humanidad, extender el horizonte de nuestro porvenir industrial y político…”

– El Mercurio, 1859

Although Chile achieved independence in 1818, not all of Chile was easily subordinated. Between 1860-1883, the Occupation of the Araucanía consisted of various conflicts between the Chilean government and the indigenous people, mainly the Mapuche, in the south of Chile. Before 1860, Chilean settlers began encroaching on Mapuche land and there were two Revolutions in 1851 and 1859 that led to the gradual occupation plan, called the “pacification” plan. There were several military campaigns and eventually a truce was called with both sides struggling. The truce lasted for ten years until the last campaign. Despite a short Mapuche uprising in 1881, the Chilean government finally succeeded in taking over the southern Mapuche land by 1883.  

In 1859, the main Chilean newspaper El Mercurio published an editorial about the occupation. Their editorial touches on many reasons, especially those relating to progress, that resonated with why people favored the occupation. Progress was not just about industrial and technological advances. Progress was also equivalent to “civilization” which often included racist tones or as with the occupation, outright subjugation of minorities like the Mapuche. Chileans did not view indigenous groups as “civilized” and the editorial makes this clear, describing the indigenous people as “tan limitado, astuto, feroz y cobarde al mismo tiempo, ingrato y engativo…vive, come y bebe licor con exceso como antes; no han imitado, ni inventado nada…” This inaccurate and harsh view unfortunately represents how many Chileans thought about the indigenous people. In contrast, the article praises the “civilized” Chilean army, “¡Qué empresa más gloriosa, que ocupación más digna para nuestro valiente ejército que la de estrechar y reducir a esos bárbaros, en nombre de la civilización…” There is the glorification of fighting the “barbarians” for “civilization,” which for many Chileans meant “progress.”

The editorial also touches on the occupation’s economic and industrial motives of progress. It emphasizes that the North is only a dry dessert while the south is full of rich minerals and that “El porvenir industrial de Chile se caracteriza, a no dudarlo, en la región del Sur…” This conquest is the answer to Chilean progress as the editorial concludes, “En efecto, siempre hemos mirado la conquista de Arauco como la solución del gran problema de la colonización y del progreso de Chile.” While perhaps a somewhat violent solution, the editorial makes it clear that this was the only solution and that peaceful domination was not possible. They write that peaceful “civilization” is an ideal only found in fiction, “Pensar en domesticar al indio poniéndole en contacto pacífico con el hombre civilizado, es otro bello ideal que solo puede tolerarse a las dilataciones generosas del sentimentalismo y de la poesía.”

As this example illustrates, progress had an ugly side and often came at the cost of others. Progress did not reach everyone and quite the opposite occurred for many minorities, especially with indigenous people. Even today, there are still conflicts between the government and indigenous people in Chile.

Works Cited:

Memoria Chilena. “Editorial de ‘El Mercurio’ Sobre La Ocupación de La Araucanía,” May 24, 1859. http://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-70981.html.

“Ocupación de La Araucanía (1860-1883) – Memoria Chilena, Biblioteca Nacional de Chile.” Accessed March 2, 2020. http://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-3630.html#presentacion.

Memoria Chilena. “Parlamento Celebrado En Hípinco Entre El Coronel Saavedra y Todas Las Tribus Costinas y Abajinas, Representadas Por Sus Principales Caciques:24 de Diciembre de 1869,” 1869. http://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-98654.html.

By Emily Beuter