Pedro de Avendaño

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Pedro de Avendaño (c. 1529–1561) was a Spanish-Basque soldier who fought in Chile's Arauco War. He is best known for capturing Mapuche leader Caupolicán in 1558 and for being killed by Mapuche in 1561.

He was born around 1529 in the Basque region of Spain and came to Chile in 1557 to serve in the guard of Governor García Hurtado de Mendoza. He fought at the Battle of Millarapue and later served at the fort of Cañete de la Frontera under Captain Alonso de Reinoso.

Reinoso learned where Caupolicán was hiding with help from a native informer. Avendaño, leading 50 Spanish horsemen, went into the mountains and captured Caupolicán on February 5, 1558, as the Mapuche planned another attack. He brought Caupolicán back to the fort, where Caupolicán was executed by impalement on Reinoso's orders.

For capturing Caupolicán, Avendaño received a land grant in the Purén Valley. He became known for cruel treatment of Indigenous workers on his lands. In July 1561, Mapuche warriors ambushed Avendaño and two other Spaniards visiting his estate, killed them with axes, and cut off Avendaño's head to display on a spike, an action that helped spark the second phase of the Arauco War.