Rangkawe

Rancagua lies in the fertile Cachapoal valley, south of Santiago and beneath the Andes of central Chile. The valley was inhabited by Picunche communities before Spanish settlement. In 1743 Governor José Antonio Manso de Velasco founded the villa of Santa Cruz de Triana on land ceded by the indigenous chief Tomás Guaglén. The older name Rancagua remained attached to the settlement.

The town became the scene of a decisive battle during the struggle for Chilean independence. On 1 and 2 October 1814, patriot forces under Bernardo O’Higgins defended positions around the square against the royalist army of Mariano Osorio. Their defeat opened the road to Santiago and began a period of Spanish reconquest. Patriot leaders and supporters fled across the Andes to Mendoza before returning in a later campaign.