Hey Manuel, why did we start in Santiago?
Because this is where Pedro de Valdivia settles
After more than one year of travel from Peru.
And here is where what we know today as Chile starts.
So this centralism starts early!
Not really. Valdivia never planned to stay in the centro for long
His obsession was to make his way to the South.
But various circumstances kept him here.
Did you notice that he's missing his reins?
They stole them?
That's how the sculptor chose to portray a country that governs itself.
Without Spanish authority.
What's going on?
What we came for.
For what?
To the first battle of Santiago.
Little over 7 months after its founding, Santiago is attacked
By more than 8 thousand indigenous.
8 thousand? And how many Spaniards?
Spaniards? Little more than 50.
The attackers are liberated by that man, Michimalonco.
We have to burn everything!
Where is Pedro de Valdivia?
Valdivia is not here, he's left Santiago
Precisely in search for indigenous rebels.
Well someone must tell him that there's a bunch here!
How did they get here?
To understand that we have to go back a bit.
In January of the year before, Pedro de Valdivia's expedition leaves Cuzco,
The old capital of the Incan empire, which was then under Spanish rule.
Valdivia makes his way to Chile with only 12 Spaniards.
On his way, others join until they are 150.
Another 1,500 indigenous also make the trip, brought from towns
Already under Spanish rule.
They are called "Indios of service," or yanaconas.
Hundreds of them lose their lives during the trip.
Some of them battling against the indigenous resistance.
The majority due to thirst, hunger, and exhaustion.
Although they are not considered slaves like Africans, in practice they are.
When the news reach the valleys that Valdivia and his men are on the way
Worry fills the indigenous.
But how do they find out so quickly that Valdivia is on the way?
All of this area is part of the Incan empire
Which is known for its great communication system.
That is Michimalonco.
Which means "head of torch"
A cacique that dominates a great part of the Aconcagua Valley.
5 years before, he came into contact with Diego de Almagro's expedition.
That is why he profoundly distrusts the Spaniards.
The one next to him with grey hair is Loncomilla,
Who trusts that these Spaniards are different from the others
And that they come in peace.
But Michimalonco believes that if the earth has to be watered with blood,
That blood has to be from the "huencas."
It seems like Almagro left a very bad impression of the Spanish.
As well as for Chile.
What? Chile's name already exists?
Yes, but its origin is mysterious.
Chile. Some say its name comes from a bird, the "Chi."
Or from the Quechua word "chili" which means cold.
Others, that Chili was the name of a Cacique that governed
The Aconcagua Valley.
Other theories exist but there is not enough evidence to point to one.
And why do you say that Almagro left a bad name for Chile?
Because he also came here from Peru with the idea of becoming rich.
And it went horribly.
Diego de Almagro's expedition cost a fortune,
Much more expensive than Valdivia's.
Between Spaniards, slaves, and yanaconas, it surpassed 10,000 people.
A mega-production.
Exactly. The Incan monarch had given him a tip.
That in the lands of the Chilean valley, gold was abundant.
Almagro found himself in extreme climates, crossing the Andes and the desert.
As well as warrior indigenous, particularly south of the Bio-Bio River.
His punishments were legendary, but gold he found almost nothing.
So if Diego de Almagro came back talking ill of Chile, why Valdivia come?
To execute an even more ambitious plan than Almagro's.
He wants to reach the "Strait of All Saints." The actual Strait of Magellan.
Fortify it and establish there a commercial route with Spain.
Valdivia looks for more than riches. He seeks, in his own words,
"To leave fame and memory."
So for him Santiago is nothing more than a stepping stone?
But a very important one.
Valdivia needs to found a city because he has enemies in his own ranks
And the only way to legitimize himself as the most important Spanish authority
Of this area, is that a group of neighbors name him as governor.
And where there are neighbors, there has to be a city.
Pedro de Valdivia and his men arrive to the Central Valley in December of 1540.
On February 12th of the following year, he founds the city that he calls
Santiago of the New Extremity.
In honor of the saint and military protector of the Spanish.
Well the city is now founded, now they have to build it.
And for that, manpower is needed.
Which they begin to seek from the local indigenous population.
I imagine they didn't put an ad on the paper that reads,
"Prestigious international firm needs labor force."
He's going to read the requirement.
And what is the requirement?
Look, pay attention.
"On behalf of his majesty, the emperor Charles V,
I, Pedro the Valdivia, his server, messenger, and captain,
I notify you that God, our Lord, one and only created the heavens and earth
And one man and woman from which we are all descendants of.
From all of these people, God our Lord, gave Saint Pedro"
And what is all that sermon about?
Basically they are being told "or you submit peacefully or we will submit you"
The classic "by reason or by force"
"If you recognize the Church as superior of this world
And the Pope and his majesty as superior and lord, and king of the islands
And earth, you will do well.
And you will receive love and charity.
If you don't, I will come with all my power against you."
Tell me something, Manuel. Does he really think they understand?
For the Spanish conquistadores, reading is a requirement of a legal formality.
With that they hope to give some type of legitimacy to the submission of indigenous
They read it from a ship or from the top of a hill.
Sometimes they read it in Latin, or Spanish.
Or Mandarin, it doesn't matter.
"And I will take all your belongings
And I will do all the harm I can."
From now on anyone that doesn't submit or refuses to work for the Spanish,
Will be considered "Indio at war"
And this would be like our first code of labor.
More like our first penal code.
Imposed by force and without consulting the affected.
But in this period, this type of outrage happens every day, right?
Yes, of course, and in all of America.
And all of this happens because the king of Spain decides to send
These proper men to conquer some land.
Not really.
The conquest of America is a private business.
How?
Let's go back, I'll explain there.
In 1541, the surface of Santiago is no more than 8 blocks
From north to south, and 10 from east to west.
Pedro de Valdivia resides in the current Plaza de Armas.
Valdivia's home was right here.
Manuel, explain to me how conquest was a private business.
What happens is that the crown claims as its own the American territories
And it gives them away as grants.
To whom?
To those who are ready to conquer with private funds.
For example, Valdivia and his men.
But tell me something, who finances Valdivia? Himself?
Him and his partners ask for loans to finance the expedition
That why when he leaves Peru, he does heavily indebted.
So then Pedro de Valdivia is our first debtor.
Thanks to the superiority that bring fire arms and metal,
The use of horses, the proven military tactics, and the support of the yanaconas,
The Spanish impose themselves in the Central Valley.
One of the last sources of resistance from the intial period of conquest
Is headed by the Cacique Michimalonco.
Take him.
When he is defeated trying to save the lives of his wives and children
He promises to take the Spanish to the very heart of the Incan wealth in Chile.
The gold mines of Marga Marga.
In Marga Marga gold really is abundant.
So much so that Valdivia immediately orders the construction
Of a brigantine that allows him to export his riches.
At that time, this whole area is covered in forest.
It's hard to believe.
With that wood, 8 Spanish carpenters, in this same spot, begin to build a ship
With which they plan to ship as much gold as possible to Peru.
Gold, gold! The Spanish obsession with gold is impressive.
Well, gold is like the oil of today.
At the time, the power and wealth of the European nations
Was measured according to the amount of gold and silver accumulated.
It is the economic system known as mercantilism.
For the regions of America, gold doesn't only have a symbolic and religious worth,
It also represents a currency of trade.
The Incas call gold "the sweat of the sun"
And through their dominance in Chile, they extract it generously in Marga-Marga.
The Spanish confirm this when after 40 days of work,
They are able to extract almost 100 kilos of the precious metal.
Valdivia's firm has literally hit the jackpot.
And of these gains, how much does the king get?
20% plus tax.
And I suppose the hard work isn't done by the Spanish.
What do you think?
That they make the indigenous and yanaconas work from dusk till dawn.
Not just them. The one and only Michimalonco
Gives Valdivia no less than 600 of his men.
Everyday the indigenous die exhausted or sick.
The work conditions, even here, are harsh.
The discomfort, unhappiness, and anger grow without an end.
A time bomb?
And this?
What has happened?
Speak, man!
Dead. Everyone is dead.
They have killed them all.
It happened yesterday in the mines. The Cacique brought me me bucket
Filled with gold grains. There is a valley where gold never runs out.
The indigenous assured me, so I left 2 men in the mines and the rest of us
Went to get the tresure...
It was all a trap, an ambush. They were hundreds!
And you? How did you survive?
(?)
...in the middle of the massacre.
We were able to escape, that's why we are alive.
Dead. They are all dead.
Get the horses ready, we'll leave as soon as possible.
Valdivia confirms first hand the destruction in the mines
And the burning of his ship.
The carpenters and yanaconas that built it were found massacred.
Since he doesn't catch the people responsible,
Valdivia orders an exemplifying punishment.
He captures the seven most important Caciques of the Central Valley.
The first detention by suspicion.
Plus, it has a completely opposite effect.
Indigenous groups that used to be enemies, now unite in a crusade against the Spanish
It is lead by the Cacique Michimalonco.
(Prays)
Have you lost your mind?
(Illegible at the moment)
To venture outside of Santiago is reckless, Pedro. A sure death
The death least dreaded gives more life.
An Indio gave the exact place where the enemy is located.
A place they call Cachapoal.
An attack by surprise will allow me at last to take care of this mess.
Behind every great man there is always a great woman.
In Valdivia's case, there's two.
What?
Valdivia is married, and his wife Marina is now in Spain.
He hasn't seen her in years.
After 8 years it's understandable, Manuel
Ines Suarez comes from Spain looking for her husband
But when she gets to Cuzco she finds out he has died.
She survives as a seamstress. She meets Valdivia. They become lovers.
And then she asks him to bring her with him.
Valdivia leaves Santiago to crush the indigenous rebellion.
And he takes the biggest share of his military power.
90 Spanish soldiers, and a similar number of helping yanaconas.
Meanwhile, Michimalonco gathers with the Caciques and proposes
To end with the Spanish, once and for all.
Pedro de Valdivia has been out for 5 days, when they attack Santiago.
It is calculated as 8,000 indigenous that participated in the attack.
Their main objective is to release the seven captured Caciques,
And destroy the city in the process.
How interesting. The city is not even a year old and it's already being destroyed.
Do you want to hear something really impressive?
This happens in 1541, on a September 11.
The city of Santiago has been running for 7 months when it's about to be destroyed
Thousands of indigenous from the Central Valley revolt against
Spanish dominance and abuse.
And this battle lasts how long? Months?
Not months, two days.
And thinking about it, Ines Suarez is alone?
Those Indios are the cards that give us the upper hand!
We have to give them up! It's the only way to make it out alive from this hell.
Those Indios stay where they are!
We have to liberate them!
The captain Valdivia has ordered it this way.
In Valdivia's absence, I am the authority!
I propose we negotiate.
We don't negotiate with Indios!
Then what?
We have to teach them that from now on, the lords and owners of these lands
Are the Spanish!
We have to show them what our sword is capable of.
What? What?
Ines Suarez decapitates the seven Caciques
And makes their heads roll in the plaza.
This raises Spanish spirits,
And it terrorizes the indigenous, that surprisingly begin to retreat.
(Prays)
When he comes back from Cachapoal, Valdivia finds his city burnt down.
Material damages...completely.
Dozens wounded. 4 Spanish dead. The major amount of fallen are yanaconas.
The Spanish chroniclers never state it, but it's said to be hundreds.
And something that historians do account, is the death of 23 horses.
In the whole city, what is left is a chicken, a chick, and a grain of wheat.
Oh and 3 pigs. That's how they must survive,
Eating spring onion and grilled crickets.
LETTER FROM VALDIVIA TO THE EMPEROR CHARLES V
Because for a soldier it's an honor to die in battle
But to bare the hunger, they must be more of a man
what is it?
You don't need to know
Pedro
At some point we won't be able to resist it any longer
The Indios are destroying our crops
and at night-
I know, Ines. you're talking like you lost it
No.
With no faith, we aren't any better than those barbarians
But if we don't receive any help we're going to Die!
I've prayed the virgin of help to illuminate me
And I believe to have the solution
And what's Valdivia's plan besides praying to the virgin?
He sends Alonso de Monroy and three horseman to Perú seeking for help
Okay, and?
As a desperate last resource he sends them
with the biggest ammount of gold they can carry to tent the Spanish men.
From the swords, to the horse's horsehoes were made with
molten gold.
His sword is missing..
Is that another symbolism?
No, it got robbed
It got robbed?
Could it be that the same happens to Morroy?
At one point around Copiapó, he and his men are attacked by the Natives
And the gold?
They loose it all
Monroy escapes thanks the Cacique who captured him got
deslumbrated by the horses
and gets obsessed with the idea of learning how to ride them
Don't tell me that Monroy teached him how to ride?
yes, and finally in one of those trips he gets to escape, and arrives to Cuzco
There, he asks Pedro for credit and goes back with fresh money
for his business
richer than ever, and how long does it take him to go back?
two years. two years?
yep, and once he arrives Valdivia takes it like it was a virgin's miracle
and then, as a sign of gratitude, he builds a shrine, and installs the
Image of the one he brought himself from Spain
The shrine was in this exact place, where today resides the San Francisco's church
Manuel, it's another Virgin
It's the same one, Pancho. It's just that after the Barroco they begin
dressing her with fabric clothes.
It's hard to believe that that is the same Pedro de Valdivia brang tied
to his horses harness
San Francisco's Church Santiago, Chile
thanks to the resources monroy brang Pedro can continue with the taking.
In 1548, seven years after Santiago's founding, at Perú's viceroyalty
A huge revolt exploded between the spanish men.
Once he finds out, Pedro de Valdivia travels to fight for the viceking
and collaborates in an outstanding way at the final victory.
Valdivia becomes a Hero, and is recognized officially as Chile's governator
but along the so waited designation, The viceking, Pedro de la Casqua
himposes him a harsh demand.
I have a wife, and I must respect her.
I'm sorry, Inés.
Valdivia gets accused of adultery
He is given a period of three months to separate from Inés Suarez
and get her married with a neighbor known by him.
Besides, he is forced to bring her wife from Spain,
Marina Ortíz de Gaete.
After almost a decade of encounters, Valdivia gets to subject
all the central zone.
again, Michimalongo is forced to give up. this time
for real
The governor divides the land between the neighbor countries.
Besides, the enslaved natives are given to work them.
It's a system known as encomienda (entrust)
Valdivia, obsessed with reaching the Strait of Magallanes
starts his so desired journey to the south not waiting the required backups.
It's been almost ten years
and the ammount of spanish men who wants to come to Chile is still small
No matter the famous letters Pedro de Valdivia writes to the king,
describing Chile as a paradise
well, actually in them he describes a literary imagination that turns him
acording to many into our country's first writer
As well as the first publisher
To the emperor Carlos V, most sacred and indicted Cesar
so he lets the merchants know, if they ever want to visit, to come.
Because summer is as templated, and has such delightful air running that you can
walk under the sun all day, because the people are grown and domestic
friendly, white and with pretty faces
Because there's a lot, and very beautiful wood, and the mines are enriched in gold.
Chile, the Occidental India's lost paradise
Valdivia's expedition heads to the south, crosses the Bio-Bio river,
and from there on suffers current Mapuche attacks
Along the Andalién river they get attacted by nearly ten thousand
Mapuche warriors. Valdivia resists, and during a letup he orders his tropes
to strenghten in the place.
a few days later there's a new attack, but now the spanish are prepared
and get to defeat them with only a cavarly charge.
as a hard lesson, Valdivia orders to amputate hundreds of prisioner's noses,
and right hand.
He wants to crush his rivals morally, so no one dares to question
who is this land's new lord.
Take a good look at the young man taking care of the horse.
he has grown up with the spanish men, he is Valdivia's Page
he has seen him fight and prepare battles
he has learned everything about war through Valdivia.
His name is Felipe, but in the future no one will know him
by that name.
Felipe!
I am not Felipe (speaking in mapudungún)
My name is Lautaro
BREAK
-They must have done something for Chile's history-
after ten years of battle in Chile, and without the support of his loyal
companion, Inés Zuarez, Pedro de Valdivia
heads to the strait of Magallanes.
but this time, he will fight against the pure resistance of
the Mapuche villages, leaded by an old acquaintance of his.
(Independence square, Concepción)
Last time Pedro de Valdivia decided to give the natives a lesson it went wrong.
Yes, of course, 'cause a blind faith leads him saying everything he does is
good. his main idea is to reach the strait of magallanes but beforehand he
founds various cities, starting for the one he wants to make Chile's capital city.
Concepción is actualle founded in what is today the zone of Penco,
That's where the "penquista" term comes, right?
yes, of course.
and when was it founded?
in 1550, and in the following years Pedro de Valdivia's business seemed to
live a period of gainance, at least for a moment
Two years after 'Concepción', he founds 'Valdivia.'
after that, La imperial, Villarica, Tucapel's bridges, Arauco, Purén and Angol
the progress gets postponed once they find a richer laundry than Marga Marga.
The gold... the gold again, and again the native explotation as well...
obviously
and Lautaro, where's Lautaro?
we'll see
Mapuche village (1553)
today, we are reunited, in this community
there's bad news!
weird foreigners have arrived, to take our lands away
who are you? where are you from?
I am Lautaro
I was born in valley territory
I've came here
and am in front of you all
with the will to unite against the foreigners
this is our ancestors' lands
the earth that feeds our children
The Huinca wants to take away from us
our lands, and our liberty
If we gather our forces
we can expell them forever
Expell them Forever!
December, 1553
twelve years after Valdivia's arrival to Chile
the incidents continue
The spanish are ambushed, and in those battles,
they discover something concerning
their tested battle tactics have been assimilated by the Mapuches
Lautaro sets a trap for Valdivia at the Tucapel fortress
the tropes face eachother, ahd the Spanish along the yanaconas are massacred.
except for the governer of Chile's kingdom, who is captured alive.
Tucapel, December, 1553
in that time, Mapuches tended to eat the enemy's heart
so they could absorb their qualities
this is one of the versions about Valdivia's death.
there was no written testimony detailing that moment
After the conqueror's death, Lautaro keeps winning military victories.
Concepción is destroyed. and once the spanish started to re-populate it,
the city is devastatingly defeated again.
Lautaro is not satisfied with defeating him in the area. He wants to go beyond
Really ambitious
Imagine their plan is to progress 'til the central valley,
to their homeland, and expell the spanish men forever.
but for that we need an army
which he doesn't have
of course, the mayority of Mapuches refuse to go north because they got their lands
I don't get why no one supports him...
the only one who does is Caupolicán,
who gives him eight hundred of his best men to make progress over Santiago
eight hundred...
that's still not enough
(Toqui Lautaro, Mapuche leader and strategist)
BREAK
Expell them forever!
Lautaro, previous servant of Pedro de Valdivia,
has gaven death to his former lord, freeing the Mapuche community
from invasors
(December, 1553)
Then, an ofensive begins with their main goal as destiny.
to expell the Spanish from Chile
Lautaro progresses willing to defeat and heir only option is to gather forces with
along all the natives to confront together the conqueror.
but the exhausted natives doesn't want any more wars.
because of that, some refrain from joining his fight, and Lautaro
responds various times with violence
presicely, one of these afected natives
is who reveals the spanish Lautaro's and his men's location
(Mataquito river, May, 1557)
what did you dram?
In numerical inferiority and accompanied by Guacolda, his loyal wife,
Lautaro will face in battle his last fight.
(subtitles editor's note: Tvn stands for National Television)
(Main square, Santiago, 1557)
Lautaro's death is taken advantage of by the Spanish.
According to the legend, his head was exibhited in the center of the main square
Today's actual main square of Santiago
Inés Zuarez survives more than thirty years more than Pedro de Valdivia.
She becomes some sort of first Lady, and enjoys a big fortune.
Inés Zuares' remainings remain along her second husband's,
buried under the Iglesia de la Merced's church
and what happens to the gold washers? do they run out of it?
No, there's still gold, but the spanish lacks the workforce to exploit it
that's why they need to find a new source.
perhaps some non-traditional exportation?
Exactly.
human beings...
yes, but we'll see that story later.
Thank you for watching, 3/4s from this episode were subbed by Maria Valenzuela
so the english community can learn more about south american culture,
and pass it to the current generation and beyond, so these people keep on living
along their stories in American history.
Thank you for your attention. -María José Valenzuela