The war of Arauco in allegorical code: The auto sacramental La Araucana

Abstract

This article analyzes how in the sacramental play La Araucana, by Lope de Vega, the matter of Arauco is approached in the allegorical structure. In this drama, Caupolicán, the araucanian leader, appears as a figure or type of Christ, while the Araucanian struggle for freedom is an image of the redemption of the human genre. This auto has generated some attention in the critics, because of the relation that this play has with the Arauco domado by Lope, and particularly because of its novel character, that supposes the vision of the american native (the other) as a being that can symbolize Christ-Man in an allegorical figure.