The Battle of Catirai was a battle that took place on January 7, 1569, in the Catirai region in Chile during the Arauco War. The battle was fought between Mapuche forces led by the chieftains Llanganabal and Millalelmo, and forces of the Spanish Empire led by General Martín Ruiz de Gamboa, and it resulted in a Mapuche victory. The Mapuches successfully defended their wooden fort on a hill against a Spanish attack.
History
By 1569, Llanganabal had risen to become the Toki (war leader) of the Mapuches, with Millalelmo and others as his subordinates. Millalelmo had built a wooden fort on top of a steep forested hill in the Catirai region. This fort was built as a base to defend against raids by Spanish troops, who were burning the farms and Rukas of the Mapuches south of the Bio-Bío River. The Mapuche fort had palisades and only one door that could be entered through. Knowing that the Spaniards would try to destroy the fort, Millalelmo ordered his men to look for stones "the size of quinces" from around the hillsides, and to gather the stones in piles in front of the fort so they could be used to defend it.
The fort was scouted by Spanish Captain Lorenzo Bernal del Mercado, who warned his superiors against attacking the fort due to its strong defensive position. However, some Spanish soldiers and officials who had just recently arrived in Chile, and were inexperienced in fighting the Mapuches, managed to convince Governor Melchor de Saravia to order an attack on the fort, claiming that not attacking it would be waging war in a weak manner. Governor Saravia ordered General Martín Ruiz de Gamboa to lead an attack on the Mapuche fort.
General Ruiz de Gamboa and his army arrived at the hill of the fort on January 7, 1569, on a hot and sunny day. Gamboa divided his troops into different groups before beginning his attack up the hill. The Spanish soldiers began to advance up the forested hill, and they fired their arquebus guns at the fort as they approached it. The Indian auxiliaries also advanced up the hill, and they supported the Spaniards by firing their arrows at the Mapuche fort. As the Spaniards and their auxiliaries finally got close to the fort, they were abruptly pelted with stones by the Mapuche warriors. The Mapuches' stone throwing wreaked havoc among the Spaniards, breaking many of their limbs and greatly disorienting them. As the Spaniards began to lose their cohesion from the stones, the Mapuches suddenly counter-attacked and charged through the forest. The Mapuche charge routed the Spaniards, and it made them flee away from the fort. The Mapuches continued to chase Gamboa and his men as they retreated to San Felipe de Rauco.
Martin Ruiz de Gamboa was publicly condemned for the Spanish defeat at Catirai. He became disgraced among the Spanish colonists of Chile, and he even had his encomienda confiscated by the colonial government for his defeat. The Mapuches celebrated their victory at Catirai by partying for several days.