Vicente Benavides
| Vicente Benavides | |
|---|---|
 The head of Benavides stuck on a pole | |
| Born |
1777 Quirihue |
| Died |
February 23, 1822 (aged 44–45) Santiago, Chile |
Vicente Benavides Llanos (Quirihue, 1777 – Santiago, Chile, February 23, 1822) was a Chilean soldier who fought in the Chilean War of Independence. He initially sided with the patriots but changed sides later to side with the royalists. He then led the royalist bands during the so-called Guerra a muerte. This was a time of irregular warfare and Benavides got the aid of many Mapuche chiefs to combat the Chileans and pillage the countryside. He became known in this period for cruelty towards prisoners and breaking faith during truces The Pincheira brothers, a future outlaw group, served Benavides in the Guerra a muerte by defending the Cordillera.
Benavides was captured near the end of the war. After a brief trial in Santiago, Benavides was hanged on February 23, 1822. His body was mutilated and dismembered, due to popular feeling against him.
Sources
- Barros Arana, Diego (1850). Estudios históricos sobre Vicente Benavides i las campañas del Sur: 1818-1822 (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Imprenta de Julio Belin i Compañia.
- Castedo, Leopoldo (1954). Resumen de la Historia de Chile de Francisco Antonio Encina (in Spanish). 2. Santiago, Chile: Empresa Editora Zig-Zag.
- Vicuña Mackenna, Benjamín (1868). La guerra a muerte: memoria sobre las últimas campañas de la Independencia de Chile (1819-1824) (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Imprenta Nacional. p. 562.
- Archivo O'Higgins (in Spanish). II, XVI & XXI. Santiago, Chile: varias imprentas. 1946–1966.