The Battle of the Maule

 

The battle of the Maule was fought between the Inca Empire and the Mapuche nation near the river Maule, in Chile, between 1471AD and 1493AD. It marked the end of the southward Inca expansion and it was a very bloody affair.

It lasted three days of very heavy fighting, with no side able to break the resistance of the enemy. Both the armies suffered more than 50% of casualties, with the warriors still of the battlefield werr almost all wounded. The fourth, fifth and sithx days, both Inca and Mapuche stayed in their fortified camps, waiting for the other to renew combat. Finally, Mapuche withdrew claiming victory. Incas, facing such a strong opponent, decided to not advance anymore, fortyfing the villages on their side of the border.

So Incas, even remaing in possession of the battlefield, lost from a strategical point of view.

Sources: Garcilaso de la Vega, Comentarios reales, Segunda parte, Libro VII, Cap 18, 19, 20.

 

The battle

We have very few informations about this battle, so the army lists were drawed to have two armies of about 18000 men each, with a force composition that could be as typical as DBMM army lists allowed.

Incas

C1- CiC RAxS, 6 RAxS, 12 RAxO, 8 IPsO - 24ME

C2- SG RAxS, 6 IBdF, 12 IAxI, 8 IPsO - 24ME

C3- SG RAxS, 20 RAxO, 8 IPsO - 20ME

C4- Baggage, 6 RBgI - 12ME

Mapuche

C1- CiC IPkF, 16 IPkF, 8 IBwO, 4 IPsO - 24ME

C2- SG IPkF, 16 IPkF, 8 IBwO, 4 IPsO - 24ME

C3- SG IPkF, 16 IPkF, 8 IBwO, 4 IPsO - 24ME

C4- baggage 6 IBgI - 6ME

The battlefield is marked by craggy hills on both sides, to simulate a valley beyond the river Maule, that Incas crossed before to engage battle. The goal is to let the battle be a frontal struggle, where the inferior number of mapuche troops can fight it out with the nimble Inca. A draw counts as a Mapuche victory.

 

This is the deployment, with Incas deploying first and moving first.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both the armies were almost all made with Lurkio figures, that are gorgeous and easy to paint. Just the coastal nobles, not yet released by Lurkio, were from Minifigs.

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