Supplying of Wheat and Flour to the Army of Arauco during the Government of Francisco Laso de la Vega (1625-1640)

Abstract

In 1598 southern Chile was engulfed in an Indian uprising that culminated with the abandonment of numerous cities and the loss of Spanish lives and material belongings. To stop the losses, the Spanish King sent to Chile an army of two thousand soldiers with the instruction that they should be supplied locally. Here we analyze the military supply systems of the Arauco Army from its creation after the 1598 Indian uprising until the end of the reign of Francisco Laso de la Vega. We will see the creation and ultimate failure of the Royal Farms and the role of the military landowners in the planting of wheat and the production of flour for the army. We will see the difficulties and commercial possibilities created by the war and their consequences shown in the production of wheat and the functioning of the hydraulic flour mills. We affirm that the region of Concepción archived food self-sufficiency during the reign of Francisco Laso de la Vega, which permitted the region to situate itself into the new Peruvian wheat market at the end of the 17th century.