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CaupolicAn[kou´´pOlikAn´] Pronunciation Key, d. 1558, leader of the Araucanian who fiercely resisted the Spanish conquest of Chile. He attempted to carry on the reconquest begun by Lautaro and won a victory over the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia. After a heroic but futile battle to keep the Spanish from recapturing ConcepciOn, CaupolicAn was forced to retreat into the forest. There he was surprised, captured, tortured, and killed. His fame rests partly on La Araucana, the epic poem of Alonso de Ercilla y ZUniga.
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