CHILEAN MAPUCHE UPRISING OF 1881 BEGINS
The Mapuche uprising of 1881–the last major rebellion of the indigenous Mapuches–took place during the last phase of the Occupation of Araucanía (1861–1883) by the Chilean state. In response to Chilean government seizures of their land, a number of Mapuche chiefs organized the uprising in March 1881 to be launched that November. The revolt began prematurely alerting the Chilean authorities and allowing settlers to take refuge in the forts. The rebel Mapuche made successive attacks against the forts in the region but were beaten back and dispersed when Chilean reinforcements arrived. Some Mapuche factions sided with the Chileans and others declared themselves neutral. The organizers of the uprising did however succeed in involving Mapuche factions that had not previously been at war with Chile. The 1881 uprising can be considered the climax of the Chilean-Mapuche hostilities during the Occupation of Araucanía.
Source: “Occupation of Araucanía,” Howling Pixel. Retrieved 8/7/2019, https://howlingpixel.com/i-en/Occupation_of_Araucanía
Engraving: Claudio Gay (1800-1873), 1848. Public Domain in the US: Pre-1/1/1925. Public Domain elsewhere where copyright term is author’s life plus 70 years or less.