Biobio

Biobio lies in Ngulumapu, the Mapuche country west of the Andes, in the valley of the Biobío River. Forests, valleys and river crossings shaped the lives and connections of Indigenous communities before Spanish expansion. After the Mapuche uprising beginning in 1598, Spanish settlements south of the Biobío were destroyed and the river became a major colonial frontier. At the parliament of Quilín in 1641, Spanish and Mapuche representatives agreed to a peace that recognised the river as the northern boundary of Mapuche territory. Warfare resumed at times, while later frontier relations also involved diplomacy, trade and missionary activity.