Battle of the Maule

Battle of the Maule
	Part of the Inca Empire wars of conquest
	; Huamán Poma de Ayala's picture about the confrontation between the Mapuches (left) and the Incas (right)
Date	Probably at some time between 1471 and 1493, or 1532.
Location	Unknown, probably near the Maule River, Cachapoal River or Biobío River.
Result	Undefined(Stalemate?)
Belligerents
Inca Empire	Mapuche Purumaucas and their Antalli, Pincu, and Cauqui allies
Commanders and leaders
Emperor Túpac Yupanqui; General Sinchiruca	Unknown
Strength
20,000	18,000 - 20,000
Casualties and losses
Numerous	Numerous

The Battle of the Maule (in Mapudungun: Mawlen Weichantun, in Quechua: Mawlli Ch'iraqi) was fought between a coalition of Mapuche people of Chile and the Inca Empire of Peru. Traditionally this battle is held to have occurred near what is now Maule River, in Central Chile. The account of Garcilaso de la Vega depicts the three-day battle, which is generally believed to have occurred in the reign of Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1471-93 CE).

Historian Osvaldo Silva conjectures instead the battle occurred much after Tupac Inca Yupanqui's conquest of northern Chile with 1532 being a possible date. Silva claims the battle was not decisive at all as the Inca army was already in retreat from a new incursion to Mapuche lands in the south. Arguably the Inca's advances in Chile were halted by their unwillingness to commit greater resources in fighting the Mapuche.

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