Atlas of Battles

battle, early modern

Battle of Marihueñu

Battle of Marihueñu was a battle fought on 23 February 1554 in what is now Chile. It was part of the Arauco War. The recorded result: Mapuche victory. Recorded strength: 180 Spanish soldiers and 1,400 to 2,100 indios amigos and six artillery pieces against 5,000 Mapuche warriors.

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Batalla entre españoles y mapuches. La Araucana : poema / de D. Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga. Ed. ilustrada. Madrid : Impr. y Libr. de J. Gaspar Editor, 1884. 168 p.
Batalla entre españoles y mapuches. La Araucana : poema / de D. Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga. Ed. ilustrada. Madrid : Impr. y Libr. de J. Gaspar Editor, 1884. 168 p.. La Araucana : poema / de D. Alonso de Ercilla y Zúñiga. Ed. ilustrada. Madrid : Impr. y Libr. de J. Gaspar Editor., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought23 February 1554
WhereChile37.131S, 73.169W
OutcomeMapuche victory
Belligerentsborder|22px Spanish EmpireagainstMapuches
Casualties and losses84 Spaniards and most of the indios amigos. All the artillery was captured.andUnknown
Part ofArauco War

Where it sits in the Arauco War

Battle of Reynogüelén, 1536Battle of Tucapel, 1553Battle of Marihueñu, 1554Battle of Peteroa, 1556Battle of Mataquito, 1557Battle of Lagunillas, 1557Battle of Quiapo, 1558Battle of Itata, 1564Siege of Concepcion, 1564Battle of Vegas de Andalién, 1564Battle of Angol, 1564Battle of Talcamávida, 1566Battle of Catirai, 1569Boroa Disaster, 1606Battle of Los Robles, 1630Battle of Río Bueno, 165415361654Battle of Marihueñu, 1554
16 placed engagements of the Arauco War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date23 February 1554
PlaceChile
37.131S, 73.169W
KindBattle, early modern
Strength180 Spanish soldiers and 1,400 to 2,100 indios amigos and six artillery pieces5,000 Mapuche warriors
Casualties and losses84 Spaniards and most of the indios amigos. All the artillery was captured.Unknown
Commanders
  • Francisco de Villagra
  • Lautaro
Battle of MarihueñuBattle of MarihueñuCapture of the Paquete de MauleFirst Siege of Fort AraucoSecond Siege of AraucoBattle of CatiraiBattle of LagunillasFirst Siege of Fort AraucoSecond Siege of AraucoBattle of LagunillasLos AngelesChillánVictoriaLebuTalcahuanoAngolCauquenesCollipulli100 km37.131S, 73.169W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1554

Battle of Marihueñu is one of 1,390 engagements of the 16th century in the atlas and one of 77 in present-day Chile.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2338555, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Marihueñu, revision 1370449036, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.