peashooter85:The Warrior with the Sword Hands — The Story of Galvarino,During the 16th century Spain
peashooter85:The Warrior with the Sword Hands — The Story of Galvarino,During the 16th century Spain came to dominate over Central and South America, having conquered the might Aztec and Inca Empires. In 1557 the Spanish turned their eye towards dominating the Mapuche people of the Southern Chile. With a force of 700 Spaniards and 4,000 native auxiliaries the Spanish met the Mapuche in battle at Lagunillas on November 8th. Despite being outnumbered, the Spanish quickly defeated the Mapuche army due to superior weapons such a cannon, musket, crossbows, steel swords, and steel armor. Typical of the cruelty of the Spanish conquistadors, the commander of the expedition, Governor Garcia Mendoza ordered captured prisoners to suffer a terrible punishment. Many had their noses cut off, others had their right hand cut off. One Mapuche warrior known as Galvarino had both hand chopped off. The Spanish set the prisoners loose, believing that the horrors they committed would frighten the Mapuche into surrender. Rather than surrender, the Mapuche were enraged. One warrior, Galvarino, was particularly incensed, holding up his severed arms for all to see. He demanded revenge against the Spanish and called for war. He was personally made commander of an army by the Mapuche war council. To make up for his lack of hands, Galvarino ordered blades to be tied to the stubs of his arms. On November 30th, 1557 Galvarino and 3,000 warriors ambushed Mendozza and his army. At the head of attack was Galvarino, hacking and slashing with his sword hands in the fierce battle. The fight lasted for almost two hours, but despite outnumbering the enemy and catching them by surprise, the superior technology of the Spanish made the battle a futile effort. The Spaniards crushed the Mapuche army, taking over 800 prisoners including Galvarino. All were executed.The Spanish conquered the Mapuche, but their victory would be short lived. Using Galvarino as a martyr, the Mapuche revolted four years later and ejected the Spanish after a bloody guerrilla war. The Mapuche managed to defend their sovereignty until they were conquered and occupied by Chile in the mid 19th century. Today Galvarino is still upheld as a symbol by those who advocate for indigenous rights in Chile. -- source link