The first fortress rebuilt following the 1599 destruction of the forts in
Catirai and its city
Santa Cruz de Coya, the cities of
Santa María la Blanca de Valdivia,
San Andrés de Los Infantes and
San Bartolomé de Chillán y Gamboa, was the reconstruction of the city of Chillán by the interim
Governor Francisco de Quiñónez.
17th century In 1601
Alonso de Ribera built
Fort Talcahuano to defend remaining Spanish settlements near
Concepción and
Fort Lonquén on the
Lonquén River to secure estancias that provided food to the army. In 1602 Ribera rebuilt the small
Fort Colcura and
Fort Guanaraque and built a new fort,
Santa Fe near the confluence of the Bio Bio and Vergara Rivers. On the coast Ribera sent captain
Francisco Hernández Ortiz to establish a fort
Valdivia on the site of the ruined city but it had to be abandoned by the starving remnant of its garrison after a terrible two-year siege. In 1603 Ribera built
Fort Chepe and
Fort San Pedro to cover the crossing at the mouth of the
Bio Bio River. He rebuilt
San Felipe de Araucan and
Santa Margarita de Austria on the coast between the
aillarehues of Arauco and Tucapel and a fort at
Tucapel and
Paicavi on the
Paicavi River. Also in the same year to the east along the Bio Bio River facing the aillarehues of
Catirai and
Purén, he rebuilt
Santa Lucia de Yumbel and built the forts of
Nuestra Señora de la Buena Esperanza,
San Rosendo,
Nuestra de Senora de Halle,
Nacimiento de Nuestro Señor and
San Francisco de Borja. The refugees from the abandoned city of
Osorno under captain Francisco Hernández founded
Fort Calbuco on a channel between the
Reloncaví Sound and the
Gulf of Ancud. In 1606,
Alonso García de Ramón built Fort
San Ignacio de la Redención near
Boroa but it was abandoned soon after the ambush of most of its garrison. In 1607 García de Ramón rebuilt Fort
Purén and
San Jerónimo de Millapoa but as a result of a peace agreement with the
Moluche of Catirai he soon dismantled the later. In 1611
Luis Merlo de la Fuente built fort
San Luis de Angol a little to the south of the old city of Angol. In 1613 Alonso de Ribera built
Fort Virguenco in the upper part of the
Rehue River and rebuilt the fort at Puren again. In 1621,
Cristóbal de la Cerda y Sotomayor rebuilt the fort of Yumbel the same year it was destroyed. He also built fort
San Cristóbal de La Paz and fortified the town around the fort San Bartolomé de Chillán. In 1622,
Pedro Osores de Ulloa built
Fort Negrete. 8 March 1626,
Luis Fernandez de Cordova established
Santa Juana de Guadalcazar. In 1637,
Francisco Laso de la Vega established fort
San Francisco de la Vega near the ruined site of the city of Angol, abandoning fort
San Luis de Angol. In 1641, all the Spanish forts south of the Bio Bio were abandoned under the terms of the
Peace of Quilín. In 1647,
Martín de Mujica y Buitrón as a result of the
Parliament of Quilín (1647) was able to reestablish forts at
Valdivia,
Santa Juana in 1648, and at
Boroa in 1649. In 1657
Pedro Porter Casanate restored the city of San Bartolomé de Chillán following its destruction at the beginning of the
Mapuche Insurrection of 1655. He also built forts
San Rafael de Coelemu and
San Fabián de Conueo northeast of Concepcion. Meanwhile, captain
Alonso de Cordova y Figueroa built
Fort Tolpán at the confluence of the
Renaico and
Vergara Rivers. In 1661 Governor Porter Casanate built fort
San Miguel Arcángel de Colcura near modern
Lota and a fort at
Talcamávida. In 1662
Ángel de Peredo established a new city of
Santa Maria de Guadalupe and repopulated
Arauco lost in 1655. In 1663 Paredo rebuilt fort San Cristóbal de La Paz. In 1665
Francisco de Meneses Brito established fort
San Carlos de Virhuenco on the upper
Rehue River and rebuilt forts Nacimiento de Nuestro Señor and Puren. In 1666 Meneses built fort
Santa Fe and
Fort de la Encarnación in
Repucura. He also rebuilt
San Carlos de Austria de Yumbel. In 1693
Tomás Marín de Poveda rebuilt fort
Buena Esperanza de Rere. In 1694 Marín de Poveda restored Fort de la Encarnación and a Mission in
Repucura. In 1695 Marín de Poveda built fort
Santo Tomás de Colhué.
18th century In 1724
Gabriel Cano de Aponte rebuilt forts Nacimiento,
Santa Juana de Guadalcázar and Santo Tomás de Colhué. He transferred from
Arauco Province the garrison and inhabitants of
Plaza de San Diego de Tucapel to the bank of the Laja River near the Andes where a new fort of the same name was built. In 1739,
José Antonio Manso de Velasco founded
fort Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles. In 1749 fort Nacimiento was moved to the present site of the modern town of
Nacimiento. In 1756,
Manuel de Amat y Juniet founded fort
Santa Bárbara and established the towns of
San Rafael de Talcamavida and
San Juan Bautista de Gualqui In 1757 Amat y Juniet made Nacimiento a town. In 1764
Antonio de Guill y Gonzaga established
Fort Repucura and a mission at Repucura once again. In 1777, the then military engineer
Ambrosio O' Higgins, constructed for
Agustín de Jáuregui y Aldecoa, a fort
San Agustín de Mesamávida. In 1788 Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins built
Fort Príncipe Carlos on the
Duqueco River. In 1792 the forces of Governor Ambrosio O'Higgins under
Tomás de Figueroa took possession of the site of the city of
Osorno ruined in 1602, and constructed a fort there. O'Higgins reestablished it as a city in 1796. ==See also==