Aillarehue or Ayllarehue (from theMapudungun: ayllarewe/ayjarewe: "nine rehues"); a confederation ofrehues or family-based units (lof) that dominated a region or province. It was the old administrative and territorial division of theMapuche,Huilliche and the extinctPicunche people. Aillarehue acted as a unit only on special festive, religious, political and especial military occasions. Several aillarehues formed theButalmapu, the largest military and political organization of the Mapuche.
Each Mapuchelof, levo orcaví (lineage) celebrated its religious rituals at a unique rehue or rewe ("altar"), near the home of a locallonko,Ulmen orcacique, often the wordrehue was used with the sense of party or clan ("I am from this rehue"), in a way similar to the old form of Christian administrative allegiance to parishes. Although aillarehue ment "nine altars" these confederations did not necessarily conform to this number of rehues. The name of many of these aillarehue confederations have remained in the presenttoponymy of the southern regions of Chile.
Although it is known thePicunche had many aillarehues in the central zone of Chile, like those ofCodegua,Vichuquén andRapel most of their names are unknown. The following list is reconstructed from the listing of the aillarehues of theMoluche andHuilliche between theItata River andReloncaví Sound, due to the work ofRicardo E. Latcham in the 1920s. Five Butalmapu were known to the Spanish at the beginning of the 18th century. Add to them the one in the region between theItata andBio Bio Rivers, that existed at the early part of theConquest of Chile. With this one six are known to have existed. One is thought to have existed among thePicunche to the north of the Itata River, at the beginning of the conquest. It is thought to have extended from theLimari to theMataquito Rivers.[1] The Picunche of the region of theMaule River valley may have been a separate Butalmapu or an aillarehue allied with theCauquenes aillarehue and aillarehue of the northern Moluche Butalmapu at the time of theInca invasion of Chile and at theBattle of the Maule.[2]
The Butalmapu ofMoluche aillarehues located between the coast and the foothills of the Andes between the Itata River and Bio Bio River.
The Butalmapu ofMoluche aillarehues located between the coast and theNahuelbuta Range between the Bio Bio River and theToltén River, (from north to south):
The Butalmapu ofMoluche aillarehues located in theChilean Central Valley and between the Bio Bio River and the Toltén River:
The Butalmapu ofMoluche aillarehues located in the zone of the foothills of theAndes between the Bio Bio River and the Toltén River:
The Butalmapu ofPehuenche aillarehues located in the zone of theAndescordillera between the Itata and the Toltén Rivers:
The Butalmapu ofHuilliche andCuncos aillarehues located in between the Toltén River and theBueno River:
The Butalmapu ofHuilliche andCuncos aillarehues located between the Bueno River and theReloncaví Sound:
