VALDIVIA, PEDRO DE

born c. 1498, Extremadura, Spain died January 1554, Tucapel, Viceroyalty of Peru [now in Chile] conqueror and governor of Chile for Spain and founder of the cities of Santiago and Concepcin. Valdivia served with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders before being sent to South America in 1534. During the Peruvian civil war (1538), he fought with Francisco Pizarro against Diego de Almagro. For the Chilean expedition, Valdivia took charge (1540) of a force of 150 Spaniards (including his mistress, Ins Surez) and some Indian allies. He marched across the coastal desert of northern Chile, defeated a large force of Indians in the valley of Chile, and, on Feb. 12, 1541, founded Santiago. In 1546 he extended Spanish rule south to the Bo-Bo River. After fighting in Peru for two years, Valdivia returned to Chile as governor. In 1550 he began to conquer Chile south of the Bo-Bo and founded the city of Concepcin. He was killed in the course of a campaign directed against the Araucanian Indians.