Bío Bío River in the context of Laja River (Chile)

The Conquest of Chile is a period in Chilean history that starts with the arrival of Pedro de Valdivia to Chile in 1541 and ends with the death of Martín García Óñez de Loyola in the Battle of Curalaba in 1598, and the subsequent destruction of the Seven Cities in 1598–1604 in the Araucanía region.

This was the period of Spanish conquest of territories, founding of cities, establishment of the Captaincy General of Chile, and defeats ending its further colonial expansion southwards. The initial conflict with the Mapuche extended well beyond the conquest period becoming known as the Arauco War, and the Spanish were never able to reassert control in Araucanía south of the Bío Bío River.

La Frontera in Chile is the region around the Bío Bío River, or the whole area between it and the Toltén River. The use of this latter definition is largely coterminous with the historical usage of Araucanía. The term was coined during the period when the region was the frontier of the Captaincy General of Chile, then a part of the Spanish Empire and later the Republic of Chile, with the Mapuche people inhabiting the Araucanía following their revolt in 1598. Subsequently, the Spanish Empire established a system of forts between the Bío Bío River and the Itata River, as well as some within the Araucanía. This system continued through the 18th century and into the 19th century.

The Southern Chilean Wine Region or The South is one of the five principal wine regions of Chile. It encompasses all wine-growing areas in of Bío Bío Region and Araucanía Region. The South wine region is composed of three minor wine districts; Itata Valley, Bío Bío Valley and Malleco Valley.