Monument to Caupolicán, Memorial statue in Temuco, Chile

The Monument to Caupolicán is a 2.5-metre cast bronze sculpture weighing about 800 kg, standing at the corner of Manuel Montt street and Caupolicán avenue in central Temuco. Created by sculptor José Troncoso Cuevas, it depicts the 16th-century Mapuche leader and was installed on 5 December 2000, replacing an earlier sculpture destroyed in 1985.

The monument was created to remember Caupolicán, a Mapuche leader who fought against Spanish invasion in the 16th century. His story is a key chapter in the Mapuche resistance against colonization of southern Chile.

The current bronze figure, installed in 2000, was made by sculptor José Troncoso Cuevas, inspired by writings of Alonso de Ercilla and Rubén Darío. The first statue, unveiled in 1939, was criticized for depicting a Sioux rather than a local Mapuche and was destroyed in 1985. The replacement was funded through a Fondart sculpture grant, with support from the Museo Regional de La Araucanía and CONADI.

The memorial is centrally located and easily reached on foot, especially from Plaza Aníbal Pinto. Several bus routes serve the area, making public transportation convenient for getting there.

The first monument, unveiled on 26 November 1939, was criticised because the figure did not depict a local Mapuche but a Sioux. It was accidentally destroyed in 1985, and the bronze replacement by José Troncoso Cuevas, about 800 kg and 2.5 m tall, was installed on 5 December 2000.