Martín García Óñez de Loyola
Encyclopedia
Don
Martín García Óñez de Loyola (1549 in Azpeitia
, Guipúzcoa – December 24, 1598 at Curalava) was a Spanish
Basque
soldier and Royal Governor of Chile
.
in the year 1568, at the side of the new viceroy
Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa
, in the capacity of captain of the guard. In 1572, during the military expedition against Tupac Amaru
--the last descendant of the Incas who resisted foreign domination - Oñez de Loyola lead a brilliant action, leading an advance column which fell upon the camp of the Inca and captured him.
For this great feat, he gained the rank of corregidor
in a number of Peruvian towns, entitling him to their goods and labor. He was also rewarded with a wife, a member of the royal Incan house and niece of Tupac Amaru. She was baptized with the Christian name Beatriz Clara Coya.
With these recommendations, the king named him governor of Paraguay
in 1592. However, just before he was to assume this position, Philip II
designated him Royal Governor of Chile
, as he was considered the officer most apt to finish the War of Arauco.
Oñez de Loyola arrived in Chile on September 23, 1592. He was determined to pacify the Arauco, and to further this end he immediately set out for Concepción
at the head of 110 troops which he had met at the capital. However, he realized that such scarce resources he would not be able to achieve his objective, and he requested reinforcements from Peru.
The appearance of the British
pirate Richard Hawkins
, however, alarmed the authorities in Peru, and their reinforcements were recalled for the defense of Peru itself. Hawkins also attacked Chile during his campaigns, assaulting Valparaiso
, for example. There, he captured a ship, but because of the limited capacity of his ship, he only took the things he needed and let the captured sailors go free.
The governor did not receive the requested soldiers, but members of the Jesuit and Augustinian
orders did arrive. The first would have great importance for later events in the colonization of Chile, until they were eventually expelled.
The governor decided that he could not wait any more, and in 1594 he began a campaign to the south with the small contingent that he had put together. He founded a fort Santa Cruz de Oñez
in May of 1594, near the confluence of the Bio-Bio and Laja Rivers in Catiray, where gold mines were located on the Rele River
. The fort was elevated to the rank of city in 1595 giving it the name of Santa Cruz de Coya
.
Three years later a group of 140 reinforcements arrived, but they were not enough. The lack of reinforcements was not the fault of the viceroy—who offered generous inducements to join the army—but rather the name of Chile, which had become so stained by the interminable conflict that no one wanted to risk their lives going to such a hell.
when the news arrived that the Mapuche
s had renewed their attacks against Angol
. In order to reinforce this point, he set out with 50 men on December 21, 1598. On the second day of the march they arrived at a place called Curalava (the broken rock), on the banks of the Lumaco River
, where they rested without taking any precautions against attack. In the nights of the 23rd and 24th the Indians approached the camp, and with shouts and the sound of horns they attacked the Spanish.
Oñez de Loyola and a pair of soldiers at his side fought very valiantly, but finally succumbed to the spears of the Indians. In the melee almost all the Spaniards died, save a cleric named Bartolomé Pérez, who was taken prisoner, and a soldier named Bernardo de Pereda, who received 23 wounds on his body and was left for dead, but who improbably survived.
The Mapuches then initiated a general rising which destroyed all the cities south of the Biobío River. They kept the head of Oñez de Loyola, giving it back years later to the governor Alonso García de Ramón
.
Don (honorific)
Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...
Martín García Óñez de Loyola (1549 in Azpeitia
Azpeitia
Azpeitia is a town and municipality within the province of Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain, located on the Urola river a few kilometres east of Azkoitia. Its population is 13,708 . It is located 16 miles southwest of Donostia/San Sebastián.Azpeitia is the birth place of Ignatius of Loyola...
, Guipúzcoa – December 24, 1598 at Curalava) was a Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
soldier and Royal Governor of Chile
Royal Governor of Chile
The Royal Governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district known as the Kingdom of Chile. This district was also called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the Royal Governor also held the title of a Captain General...
.
Early life
When he was young, arrived in PeruPeru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in the year 1568, at the side of the new viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa
Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa
Francisco Álvarez de Toledo, Count of Oropesa was Spanish viceroy of Peru from November 26, 1569 to September 23, 1581.-Early years:...
, in the capacity of captain of the guard. In 1572, during the military expedition against Tupac Amaru
Túpac Amaru
Túpac Amaru, also called Thupa Amaro , was the last indigenous leader of the Inca state in Peru.-Accession:...
--the last descendant of the Incas who resisted foreign domination - Oñez de Loyola lead a brilliant action, leading an advance column which fell upon the camp of the Inca and captured him.
For this great feat, he gained the rank of corregidor
Corregidor (position)
A corregidor was a local, administrative and judicial position in Spain and its empire. He was the highest authority of a Corregimiento. In the Americas a corregidor was often called an alcalde mayor. They began to be appointed in fourteenth century Castile and the institution was definitively...
in a number of Peruvian towns, entitling him to their goods and labor. He was also rewarded with a wife, a member of the royal Incan house and niece of Tupac Amaru. She was baptized with the Christian name Beatriz Clara Coya.
With these recommendations, the king named him governor of Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
in 1592. However, just before he was to assume this position, Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
designated him Royal Governor of Chile
Royal Governor of Chile
The Royal Governor of Chile ruled over the Spanish colonial administrative district known as the Kingdom of Chile. This district was also called the Captaincy General of Chile, and as a result the Royal Governor also held the title of a Captain General...
, as he was considered the officer most apt to finish the War of Arauco.
Governor of Chile
Concepción, Chile
Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...
at the head of 110 troops which he had met at the capital. However, he realized that such scarce resources he would not be able to achieve his objective, and he requested reinforcements from Peru.
The appearance of the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
pirate Richard Hawkins
Richard Hawkins
thumb|250px|right|Sir Richard HawkinsAdmiral Sir Richard Hawkins was a 17th century English seaman, explorer and Elizabethan "Sea Dog", and was the son of Admiral Sir John Hawkins....
, however, alarmed the authorities in Peru, and their reinforcements were recalled for the defense of Peru itself. Hawkins also attacked Chile during his campaigns, assaulting Valparaiso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, for example. There, he captured a ship, but because of the limited capacity of his ship, he only took the things he needed and let the captured sailors go free.
The governor did not receive the requested soldiers, but members of the Jesuit and Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
orders did arrive. The first would have great importance for later events in the colonization of Chile, until they were eventually expelled.
The governor decided that he could not wait any more, and in 1594 he began a campaign to the south with the small contingent that he had put together. He founded a fort Santa Cruz de Oñez
Santa Cruz de Oñez
Santa Cruz de Oñez was a fort founded by Martín García Oñez de Loyola in May of 1594, near the confluence of the Bio-Bio and Laja Rivers on the right bank of the upper reach of the Rele River in Catiray, ten kilometers south of the Bio Bio. The site was in an elevated location but with a shortage...
in May of 1594, near the confluence of the Bio-Bio and Laja Rivers in Catiray, where gold mines were located on the Rele River
Rele River
Rele River is a river in the commune of Santa Juana. It has its origin to the south southeast of Santa Juana, from where it runs to the northeast from among the slopes of the heights of the Nahuelbuta Range and runs to the east to the Bio Bio River in which it empties a little above the confluence...
. The fort was elevated to the rank of city in 1595 giving it the name of Santa Cruz de Coya
Santa Cruz de Coya
Santa Cruz de Coya was a city established by the governor of Chile Martín García Oñez de Loyola on the site of the fort of Santa Cruz de Oñez, in 1595. It was named for his wife Beatriz Clara Coya, a member of the royal Incan house...
.
Three years later a group of 140 reinforcements arrived, but they were not enough. The lack of reinforcements was not the fault of the viceroy—who offered generous inducements to join the army—but rather the name of Chile, which had become so stained by the interminable conflict that no one wanted to risk their lives going to such a hell.
Death
The governor was in La ImperialLa Imperial
La Imperial could refer to:* La Imperial or Antigua [Old] Imperial, a city founded by Pedro de Valdivia on April 16, 1552. It was abandoned and destroyed as a result of the War of Arauco in 1600, and refounded in 1882 under the name Carahue....
when the news arrived that the Mapuche
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
s had renewed their attacks against Angol
Angol
Angol is a commune and capital city of the Malleco Province in the Araucanía Region of southern Chile. It is located at the foot of the Nahuelbuta Range and next to the Vergara River, that permitted communications by small boats to the Bío-Bío River and Concepción. This strategic position explains...
. In order to reinforce this point, he set out with 50 men on December 21, 1598. On the second day of the march they arrived at a place called Curalava (the broken rock), on the banks of the Lumaco River
Lumaco River
-References:*...
, where they rested without taking any precautions against attack. In the nights of the 23rd and 24th the Indians approached the camp, and with shouts and the sound of horns they attacked the Spanish.
Oñez de Loyola and a pair of soldiers at his side fought very valiantly, but finally succumbed to the spears of the Indians. In the melee almost all the Spaniards died, save a cleric named Bartolomé Pérez, who was taken prisoner, and a soldier named Bernardo de Pereda, who received 23 wounds on his body and was left for dead, but who improbably survived.
The Mapuches then initiated a general rising which destroyed all the cities south of the Biobío River. They kept the head of Oñez de Loyola, giving it back years later to the governor Alonso García de Ramón
Alonso García de Ramón
Alonso García de Ramón was a Spanish soldier and twice Royal Governor of Chile: first temporarily from July of 1600 to February of 1601, and then from March of 1605 to August of 1610. He was born in Cuenca, Spain in 1552....
.
See also
- Arauco WarArauco WarThe Arauco War was a conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people in what is now the Araucanía and Biobío regions of modern Chile...
- Mapuche peopleMapucheThe Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
- Disaster of CuralabaDisaster of CuralabaThe Disaster of Curalaba is the name given to a battle between Spanish conquerors led by Martín García Óñez de Loyola and Mapuche people led by Pelantaru on a place called Curalaba , in southern Chile...
- Destruction of Seven CitiesDestruction of Seven CitiesThe Destruction of the Seven Cities in Araucanía was a result of the great Mapuche revolt in 1598. It is considered sometimes as the end of the Conquest of Chile...