Temuco is a city and commune, capital of the Cautín Province and of the Araucanía Region in southern Chile. The city is located 670 kilometres (416 miles) south of Santiago at the heart of the modern Araucanía Region and historic Araucanía—the land of the Mapuche who resisted Spanish conquest.Temuco was founded by Chilean military in Mapuche territory 1881 during the occupation of Araucanía and grew quickly into one of Chile's main cities.