Vicente Benavides

Vicente Benavides
The head of Benavides stuck on a pole
Born	1777 Quirihue
Died	February 23, 1822 (aged 44–45) Santiago, Chile

Vicente Benavides Llanos (Quirihue, 1777 – Santiago, Chile, February 23, 1822) was a Chilean soldier who fought in the Chilean War of Independence.

He initially sided with the patriots but changed sides later to side with the royalists. He then led the royalist bands during the so-called Guerra a muerte. This was a time of irregular warfare and Benavides got the aid of many Mapuche chiefs to combat the Chileans and pillage the countryside. He became known in this period for cruelty towards prisoners and breaking faith during truces. The Pincheira brothers, a future outlaw group, served Benavides in the Guerra a muerte by defending the Cordillera. In 1821 he seized an American merchant vessel, the Hersilia, and later destroyed the vessel.

Benavides was captured near the end of the war. After a brief trial in Santiago, Benavides was hanged on February 23, 1822. His body was mutilated and dismembered, due to popular feeling against him.

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