In the words of Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna banditry was a "national plague, worse than lepra or cholera". Following Chilean victories in War of the Pacific against Peru veterans begun to return in 1881 leading to a surge in banditry. The return of the veterans coincided with the Chilean Army's crushing of Mapuche resistance in the Occupation of Araucanía (1861–1883). This led to opportunities bandits and veterans-turned-bandits to immigrate to the newly opened Aracanía territory, leading to sudden rise in violence and in a region that was recovering from Chilean-Mapuche warfare. Bandits that immigrated to Araucanía allied with displaced Mapuche and made cattle theft their chief business. Stolen cattle was sold in marketplaces through the region.