This Week in History: Sept. 11-17

September 11, 1541: In a setback for the Spanish conquistadors, Santiago is attacked and destroyed by the Mapuche Indians under the leadership of Michimalonko. The Santiago settlement had been founded just six months earlier under Pedro de Valdivia. Today, as capital of Chile, it is the fifth largest city in South America, with a population of roughly six million.

September 11, 1888: Domingo F. Sarmiento (born 1811) dies. Sarmiento was a political writer and educator as well as president of Argentina from 1868 to 1874. His most influential work was his essay Facundo, and he was also the founder of the Argentine public-school system.

September 11, 1973: The Chilean military, alarmed at the socialist agenda of President Salvador Allende, overthrows him. Allende dies during the coup. With Augusto Pinochet at its head, a junta is set up with a strongly anti-communist leaning, and would rule Chile until 1990.

September 13, 1847: Los Niños Héroes, or Boy Heroes, are killed while defending Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City during the Battle of Chapultepec. The teenage boys, who were military cadets, refused an order from their commander to retreat and fought bravely until all were killed. According to legend, the last survivor plunged to his death from the castle ramparts wrapped in the Mexican flag to avoid its getting into the hands of the advancing Americans. Today the cadets are regarded as national heroes and are honored by a monument and have had streets, schools, etc., named after them.

September 15, 1835:

Charles Darwin, onboard the HMS Beagle, reaches the Galápagos Islands, located almost 1,000 km off the coast of Ecuador, in the north-western region of South America. Darwin's observations here later lead to his theories on evolution by natural selection.