Alonso de Ercilla was a Spanish nobleman and soldier who emerged as an epic poet. While serving in Chile, he began his seminal work, the epic poem La Araucana. This heroic verse, regarded as one of the greatest Spanish historical poems, chronicles the courageous insurrection of the Araucanian people while also recounting the history of Chile and contemporary Spain. Ercilla's writing captures the brutal realities of conflict and honors the bravery of the combatants involved.
The discovery of another continent sparked a wealth of poetry in Spain during the Golden Age. Ercilla, a witness to the conquest of Chile, created "La Araucana," which blends historical narrative with Renaissance epic and Greco-Latin principles, showcasing the fusion of history and poetry.