Coastal fortifications of colonial Chile

Last updated
Chile location map.svg
Green pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Green pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Green pog.svg
Blue pog.svg
Green pog.svg
Green pog.svg
class=notpageimage|
Map with places that were fortified at some point during colonial times. Blue dots mark locations first fortified in the 17th century or before. Green dots marks paces first fortified in the 18th century.

In Colonial times the Spanish Empire diverted significant resources to fortify the Chilean coast as a consequence of Dutch and English raids. [1] During the 16th century the Spanish strategy was to complement the fortification work in its Caribbean ports with forts in the Strait of Magellan. As attempts at settling and fortifying the Strait of Magellan were abandoned the Spanish began to fortify the Captaincy General of Chile and other parts of the west coast of the Americas. The coastal fortifications and defense system was at its peak in the mid-18th century. [2]

Contents

History

16th century

In 1578 Francis Drake inaugurated an era of privateering and piracy along the coasts of Chile. Responding to this threat the viceroy of Peru sent in 1579 an expedition commanded by Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa to the Strait of Magellan in order to explore the feasibility of fortifying it and by virtue of that controlling the entrance to the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic. After surveying the strait Sarmiento departed to Spain and obtained there through the king ships and settlers for a definitive colonization and fortifying project. [2] Duke of Alba supported the project and suggested some modifications. The plan included the building one fort on each side of Primera Angostura, a sound within the strait. The expedition that sailed from Spain included about 350 settlers and 400 soldiers. [3] Back in the Strait of Magellan Sarmiento founded the cities of Nombre de Jesús and Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe in 1584. [2] Nombre de Jesús was abandoned after only five months of existence and its population sought themselves to Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe. There, realizing there was not enough food for all, Andrés de Biedma ordered the people to scatter along the northern coast of the strait and wait for any vessel that could provide aid. [3] Sarmiento's resupply expedition never did arrive at the straits, this was due to a storm and only a few settlers survived to be rescued by other navigators. [2] [3]

17th century

In 1600 local Huilliche joined the Dutch corsair Baltazar de Cordes to attack the Spanish settlement of Castro. [4] [5] While this was a sporadic attack the Spanish believed the Dutch could attempt to ally the Mapuches and establish a stronghold in southern Chile. [6] The Spanish knew of the Dutch plans to establish themselves at the ruins of Valdivia so they attempted to re-establish Spanish rule there before the Dutch arrived again. [7] The Spanish attempts were thwarted during the 1630s when Mapuches did not allow the Spanish to pass by their territory. [7] With the Spanish blocked from entering Valdivia via land the much waited Dutch invasion met no resistance when it reached the ruins of old Spanish city in August 1643. Before that the Dutch did however engage the Spanish at Carelmapu and sacked Castro. The Spanish in these two localities had been instructed to use a scorched earth strategy against the incoming invaders. While the Dutch abandoned their new colony after only two months in October 1643, their invasion caused great alarm among Spanish authorities and triggered the return of the Spanish to Valdivia. The construction of the Valdivian Fort System began in 1645. [8] [9] Having heard from a letter to Juan Manqueante that the Dutch had plans to return to the location, the Spanish viceroy in Peru sent from El Callao in Peru 1000 men in twenty ships and ordered 2000 men to march by land from Central Chile in 1644 to resettle Valdivia and fortify it. The land troops never made it to Valdivia, probably due to Mapuche resistance. The massive fleet, that added two ships in Chile, was unprecedented in the region. [8] [10] The building and maintenance of the Valdivian Fort System became a burden for the Spanish colonial finances, more so considering that the Dutch did not return to establish their planned colony. [10]

18th century

Ever since the Bourbon dynasty assumed power in Spain during the early 18th century the threat of a French attack dissipated, instead the British seemed to be the foremost menace to Spains possessions in Chile. [2] The War of Jenkins' Ear between Britain and Spain caused the British to plan an attack against the Spanish possessions in Chile. Valdivia, a fortified and valuable Spanish exclave, was selected for an attack. The attack to be commanded by George Anson proved a complete failure even before the expedition reached Spanish ports: the ships had dispersed and HMS Wager wrecked off the coast of Patagonia. Nevertheless, the British arrival caused great alarm among the Spanish who searched extensively the Patagonian archipelagoes to cleanse it from any possible British presence. [11] [12]

The coastal city of La Serena in northern Chile was first fortified in the 1730s, about fifty years after it was sacked and torched by the pirate Bartholomew Sharp. By 1805 the city defenses, including a series of batteries, were in a state of abandonment. [13]

In the 1740s the viceroy of Peru and the governor of Chile converged in a project to advance the frontiers of the Spanish Empire in the Southeast Pacific and prevent the establishment of a British base. As result of this plan the Juan Fernández Islands were settled and the fort of Tenquehuen established in Chonos Archipelago near Taitao Peninsula. [11] This last fort was manned for one and half year before being abandoned. [12] After the Tenquehuen fort was dismantled the Marquis of the Ensenada, being briefed on local affairs, recommended the establishment of a fort in the Guaitecas Archipelago, but this never happened. For Governor Antonio Narciso de Santa María, Chiloé Island was the most important part of the Patagonian Archipelago recommending to concentrate on the defense of Chiloé. [11] It was the hope of the Spanish that when the supposed British return occurred they would find the Juan Fernández Islands fortified and settled. [11]

As consequence of the Seven Years' War the Valdivian Fort System was updated and reinforced from 1764 onwards. Other vulnerable localities of colonial Chile such as Chiloé Archipelago, Concepción, Juan Fernández Islands and Valparaíso were also made ready for an eventual English attack. [14] [15] Inspired in the recommendations of former governor Santa María the Spanish founded the "city-fort" of Ancud in 1768 and separated Chiloé from the Captaincy General of Chile into a direct dependency of the Viceroyalty of Peru. [11] As with other 18th-century forts in Chile the establishment of Ancud caused through the new Ancud-Castro road an expansion of local trade and agriculture. [16]

Fortification engineers building 18th century forts imprinted neoclassical designs on them. [16]

19th century

A varied list of 18th-century and early 19th-century authors in Chile, Spain and the rest of Europe concurred on the strategic importance of Valdivia and its harbour. [17] [18] [19] A notable dissident was the Governor of Osorno Juan Mackenna who argued in an 1810 report for diminishing the size of the garrison protecting Valdivia and distribute resources aimed at it elsewhere. [20] This report was rebuked by Manuel Olaguer Feliú, the chief military engineer involved in the designs of the defences of Valdivia. [20] Mackenna's thesis that controlling fortified positions was unnecessary to conquer a territory was contradicted both by the experiences of the Peninsular War and by Cochrane's decision to attack the Valdivia Fort System itself in 1820. [20] According to historian Gabriel Guarda Mackenna was more concerned about controlling resources than of providing valid arguments. [20]

A painting on the landings of Thomas Cochrane previous to the rebel assault on the Valdivian Fort System. Tomadevaldivia.JPG
A painting on the landings of Thomas Cochrane previous to the rebel assault on the Valdivian Fort System.

During the War of Chilean Independence several coastal fortifications were attacked. The First Chilean Navy Squadron, commanded by Thomas Cochrane, launched an amphibious attack on the Valdivian Fort System in 1820. The land troops led by Jorge Beauchef overran the forts on the southern side of Corral Bay. Then the remaining forts, in Niebla and Mancera Island were abandoned by the Spaniards who retreated to the city of Valdivia. [21]

List of fortifications

PictureLocalityCoordinatesDate of building and updatesDesigner(s)
Castillo de San Antonio
Fuerte de Penco 1684 [A]
Castillo de San Clemente 1596
Fuerte San Agustín 1777Leandro Badarán
Fuerte Gálvez 1780Leandro Badarán
Niebla2.JPG Valdivian Fort System 39°52′00″S73°26′00″W / 39.866667°S 73.433333°W / -39.866667; -73.433333 (Valdivian Fort System) 1645, 1661, 1671, 1679, 1680, 1764, 1765, 1767Juan de Buitrón y Mujica
Constantino Vasconcelos
José Antonio Birt
Juan Garland
Carelmapu Fort System 41°45′3.66″S73°42′27.90″W / 41.7510167°S 73.7077500°W / -41.7510167; -73.7077500 (Fuerte de Carelmapu) 1603, 1720
Castillo de Agui.jpg Lacui Fort System 41°49′45″S73°21′07″W / 41.829167°S 73.351944°W / -41.829167; -73.351944 (Fuerte Agui) 1768, 1779Miguel de Zorrilla
Carlos de Beranger y Renaud
Fuerte San Antonio Ancud.jpg Ancud Fort System 41°51′42″S73°49′39″W / 41.861667°S 73.8275°W / -41.861667; -73.8275 (Fuerte San Carlos) 1767 or 1768, 1824 Carlos de Beranger y Renaud
Chacao Fort System 41°49′16.08″S73°31′8.52″W / 41.8211333°S 73.5190333°W / -41.8211333; -73.5190333 (Batería Pampa de Lobos)
Deterioro del fuerte Tauco.JPG Castro Fort System 42°33′7.64″S73°45′3.87″W / 42.5521222°S 73.7510750°W / -42.5521222; -73.7510750 (Fortín Tauco)
Fuerte Tenquehuen 45°39′S74°48′W / 45.65°S 74.8°W / -45.65; -74.8 (Fuerte Tenquehuen) 1750

Notes

  1. ↑ 1684 is the most likely date of creation of this 17th century fort. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiloé Island</span> Island of Chile

Chiloé Island also known as Greater Island of Chiloé, is the largest island of the Chiloé Archipelago off the west coast of Chile, in the Pacific Ocean. The island is located in southern Chile, in the Los Lagos Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancud</span> City and Commune in Los Lagos, Chile

Ancud is a city in southern Chile located in the northernmost part of the island and province of Chiloé, in Los Lagos Region. It is the second largest city of Chiloé Archipelago after Castro. The city was established in 1768 to function as the capital of the archipelago and held that position until 1982. Founded as bulwark against foreign powers in colonial times, the city played an important role in the Chilean colonization of Patagonia in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arauco War</span> Conflict between Spanish settlers of Chile and indigenous peoples (16th–17th centuries)

The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía region of Chile. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities and force Mapuches into servitude. It subsequently evolved over time into phases comprising drawn-out sieges, slave-hunting expeditions, pillaging raids, punitive expeditions, and renewed Spanish attempts to secure lost territories. Abduction of women and war rape was common on both sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captaincy General of Chile</span> 1541–1818 territory of the Spanish Empire

The General Captaincy of Chile, Governorate of Chile, or Kingdom of Chile, was a territory of the Spanish Empire from 1541 to 1818 that was, initially, part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. It comprised most of modern-day Chile and southern parts of Argentina in the Patagonia region. Its capital was Santiago de Chile. In 1810 it declared itself independent, with the Spanish reconquering the territory in 1814, but in 1818 it gained independence as the Republic of Chile. It had a number of Spanish governors over its long history and several kings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valdivia</span> City in Chile

Valdivia is a city and commune in southern Chile, administered by the Municipality of Valdivia. The city is named after its founder, Pedro de Valdivia, and is located at the confluence of the Calle-Calle, Valdivia, and Cau-Cau Rivers, approximately 15 km (9 mi) east of the coastal towns of Corral and Niebla. Since October 2007, Valdivia has been the capital of Los Ríos Region and is also the capital of Valdivia Province. The national census of 2017 recorded the commune of Valdivia as having 166,080 inhabitants (Valdivianos), of whom 150,048 were living in the city. The main economic activities of Valdivia include tourism, wood pulp manufacturing, forestry, metallurgy, and beer production. The city is also the home of the Austral University of Chile, founded in 1954 and the Centro de Estudios Científicos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Chilean history</span>

This is a timeline of Chilean history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Chile and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Chile. See also the list of governors and presidents of Chile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valdivian Fort System</span> Historic forts in Los Ríos Region, Chile

The Fort System of Valdivia is a series of Spanish colonial fortifications at Corral Bay, Valdivia and Cruces River established to protect the city of Valdivia, in southern Chile. During the period of Spanish rule (1645–1820), it was one of the biggest systems of fortification in the Americas. It was also a major supply source for Spanish ships that crossed the Strait of Magellan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capture of Valdivia</span> 1820 battle of the Chilean War of Independence

The Capture of Valdivia was a battle in the Chilean War of Independence between Royalist forces commanded by Colonel Manuel Montoya and Fausto del Hoyo and the Patriot forces under the command of Thomas Cochrane and Jorge Beauchef, held on 3 and 4 February 1820. The battle was fought over the control of the city Valdivia and its strategic and heavily fortified harbour. In the battle Patriots gained control of the southwestern part of the Valdivian Fort System after an audacious assault aided by deception and the darkness of the night. The following day the demoralised Spanish evacuated the remaining forts, looted local Patriot property in Valdivia and withdrew to Osorno and Chiloé. Thereafter, Patriot mobs looted the property of local Royalists until the Patriot army arrived to the city restoring order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiloé Archipelago</span> Group of islands in Chile

The Chiloé Archipelago is a group of islands lying off the coast of Chile, in the Los Lagos Region. It is separated from mainland Chile by the Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and the Gulf of Corcovado in the southeast. All islands except the Desertores Islands form Chiloé Province. The main island is Chiloé Island. Of roughly rectangular shape, the southwestern half of this island is a wilderness of contiguous forests, wetlands and, in some places, mountains. The landscape of the northeastern sectors of Chiloé Island and the islands to the east is dominated by rolling hills, with a mosaic of pastures, forests and cultivated fields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destruction of the Seven Cities</span> 1598 destruction of seven Spanish settlements in South America by a Mapuche–Huilliche uprising

The Destruction of the Seven Cities is a term used in Chilean historiography to refer to the destruction or abandonment of seven major Spanish outposts in southern Chile around 1600, caused by the Mapuche and Huilliche uprising of 1598. The Destruction of the Seven Cities, in traditional historiography, marks the end of the Conquest period and the beginning of the proper colonial period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conquest of Chile</span> Period of Chilean history, 1541-1600, period of Spanish conquest

The Conquest of Chile is a period in Chilean historiography that starts with the arrival of Pedro de Valdivia to Chile in 1541 and ends with the death of Martín García Óñez de Loyola in the Battle of Curalaba in 1598, and the subsequent destruction of the Seven Cities in 1598–1604 in the Araucanía region.

Valdivia is one of the few cities in southern Chile with a more less continuous and well documented history from its foundation in the 16th century onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial Chile</span> Period of Chilean history from 1600 to 1810

In Chilean historiography, Colonial Chile is the period from 1600 to 1810, beginning with the Destruction of the Seven Cities and ending with the onset of the Chilean War of Independence. During this time, the Chilean heartland was ruled by Captaincy General of Chile. The period was characterized by a lengthy conflict between Spaniards and native Mapuches known as the Arauco War. Colonial society was divided in distinct groups including Peninsulars, Criollos, Mestizos, Indians and Black people.

As an archaeological culture, the Mapuche people of southern Chile and Argentina have a long history which dates back to 600–500 BC. The Mapuche society underwent great transformations after Spanish contact in the mid–16th century. These changes included the adoption of Old World crops and animals and the onset of a rich Spanish–Mapuche trade in La Frontera and Valdivia. Despite these contacts Mapuche were never completely subjugated by the Spanish Empire. Between the 18th and 19th century Mapuche culture and people spread eastwards into the Pampas and the Patagonian plains. This vast new territory allowed Mapuche groups to control a substantial part of the salt and cattle trade in the Southern Cone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch expedition to Valdivia</span> 1643 failed expedition to Chile

The Dutch expedition to Valdivia was a naval expedition, commanded by Hendrik Brouwer, sent by the Dutch Republic in 1643 to establish a base of operations and a trading post on the southern coast of Chile. With Spain and the Dutch Republic at war, the Dutch wished to take over the ruins of the abandoned Spanish city of Valdivia. The expedition sacked the Spanish settlements of Carelmapu and Castro in the Chiloé Archipelago before sailing to Valdivia, having the initial support of the local natives. The Dutch arrived in Valdivia on 24 August 1643 and named the colony Brouwershaven after Brouwer, who had died several weeks earlier. The short-lived colony was abandoned on 28 October 1643. Nevertheless, the occupation caused great alarm among Spanish authorities. The Spanish resettled Valdivia and began the construction of an extensive network of fortifications in 1645 to prevent a similar intrusion. Although contemporaries considered the possibility of a new incursion, the expedition was the last one undertaken by the Dutch on the west coast of the Americas.

In Colonial times the Spanish Empire diverted significant resources to fortify the Chilean coast as consequence of Dutch and English raids. The Spanish attempts to block the entrance of foreign ships to the eastern Pacific proved fruitless due to the failure to settle the Strait of Magellan and the discovery of the Drake Passage. As result of this the Spanish settlement at Chiloé Archipelago became a centre from where the west coast of Patagonia was protected from foreign powers. In face of the international wars that involved the Spanish Empire in the second half of the 18th century the Crown was unable to directly protect peripheral colonies like Chile leading to local government and militias assuming the increased responsibilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governorate of Chiloé</span> Political and military subdivision of the Spanish Empire

The Governorate of Chiloé was political and military subdivision of the Spanish Empire that existed, with a 1784–1789 interregnum, from 1567 to 1852. The Governorate of Chiloé depended on the Captaincy General of Chile until the late 18th century when it was made dependent directly on the Viceroyalty of Peru. The administrative change was done simultaneously as the capital of the archipelago was moved from Castro to Ancud in 1768. The last Royal Governor of Chiloé, Antonio de Quintanilla, depended directly on the central government in Madrid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of agriculture in Chile</span>

Agriculture in Chile has a long history dating back to the Pre-Hispanic period. Indigenous peoples practised varying types of agriculture, from the oases of the Atacama Desert to as far south as the Guaitecas Archipelago. Potato was the staple food in the populous Mapuche lands. Llama and chilihueque herding was practised by various indigenous groups.

[Chile] is rich in pastures and cultivated fields, in which all kind of animals and plants can be breed or grown, there is plenty of very beautiful wood for making houses, and plenty of firewood, and rich gold mines, and all land is full of them...

In the late 16th century, the Spanish Empire attempted to settle the Strait of Magellan with the aim of controlling the only known passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at the time. The project was a direct response to Francis Drake's unexpected entry into the Pacific through the strait in 1578 and the subsequent havoc his men wreaked upon the Pacific coast of Spanish America. The colonization effort took the form of a naval expedition led by veteran explorer Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, which set sail from Cádiz in December 1581. The expedition established two short-lived settlements in the strait, Nombre de Jesús and Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe. However, the settlers proved poorly prepared for the cool and windy environment of the strait, and starvation and disease was soon rampant. A resupply expedition organized by Sarmiento in Rio de Janeiro in 1585 was unable to reach the strait due to unfavorable weather. Aid to the struggling colony was later hampered by Sarmiento falling prisoner to English corsairs in 1586 and the unresponsivity of King Philip II, likely due to the strain of Spain's resources caused by the wars with England and Dutch rebels. The last known survivor was rescued by a passing ship in 1590.

The Chilean takeover of the Strait of Magellan began in 1843 when an expedition founded Fuerte Bulnes. In 1848 the settlement of Punta Arenas was established further north in the strait and grew eventually to become the main settlement in the strait, a position it holds to this day. The Chilean settlement of the strait was crucial to establish its sovereignty claims in the area. Argentina complained diplomatically this act in 1847, as part of the East Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego and Strait of Magellan Dispute, and once the dispute was settled, formally recognised Chilean sovereignty of the strait in 1881. The Magallanes territory was made a regular Chilean province in 1928.

References

  1. ↑ "Ingeniería Militar durante la Colonia". Memoria Chilena (in Spanish). Biblioteca Nacional de Chile . Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Soto Rodríguez, José Antonio (2006). "La defensa hispana del Reino de Chile" (PDF). Tiempo y Espacio (in Spanish). 16. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Martinic, Mateo (1977). Historia del Estrecho de Magallanes (in Spanish). Santiago: Andrés Bello. pp. 110–119.
  4. ↑ "La encomienda", Memoria chilena (in Spanish), Biblioteca Nacional de Chile , retrieved January 30, 2014
  5. ↑ Urbina Burgos, Rodolfo (1990). "La rebelión indigena de 1712: Los tributarios de Chiloé contra la encomienda" (PDF). Tiempo y Espacio (in Spanish). 1: 73–86. Retrieved February 22, 2014.
  6. ↑ Clark Berger, Eugene (2006). Permanent war on Peru's periphery: Frontier identity and the politics of conflict in 17th century Chile (PDF) (Ph.D.). Vanderbilt University. p. 13. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  7. 1 2 Bengoa 2003, pp. 450–451.
  8. 1 2 Robbert Kock The Dutch in Chili Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine at coloniavoyage.com
  9. ↑ Lane 1998, pp. 88–92
  10. 1 2 Lane 1998, p. 90.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Urbina Carrasco, María Ximena (2014). "El frustrado fuerte de Tenquehuen en el archipiélago de los Chonos, 1750: Dimensión chilota de un conflicto hispano-británico". Historia . 47 (I). Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  12. 1 2 Urbina C., M. Ximena (2013). "Expediciones a las costas de la Patagonia Occidental en el periodo colonial". Magallania (in Spanish). 41 (2): 51–84. doi: 10.4067/S0718-22442013000200002 . Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  13. ↑ Concha, Manuel (1871). "Capítulo tercero. Piratas.". Crónica de La Serena desde su fundación hasta nuestros días 1549-1870 (in Spanish). Serena: Imprenta de la reforma. pp. 65–73.
  14. ↑ "Lugares estratégicos", Memoria chilena (in Spanish), Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, retrieved 30 December 2015
  15. ↑ "Ingeniería Militar durante la Colonia", Memoria chilena (in Spanish), Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, retrieved 30 December 2015
  16. 1 2 Sahady Villanueva, Antonio; Bravo Sánchez, José; Quilodrán Rubio, Carolina (2010). "Flandes Indiano Chiloense: un patrimonio invencible en el tiempo". Revista de Urbanismo (in Spanish). 23: 1–27. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  17. ↑ Guarda 1970, p. 21.
  18. ↑ Guarda 1970, p. 22.
  19. ↑ Guarda 1970, p. 23.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Guarda 1970, p. 24.
  21. ↑ Guarda, Gabriel (1970). La toma de Valdivia. Santiago de Chile: Zig Zag. pp. 88–98.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.