page_title: Desert Campaign (1833–34)
section_title: Campaign
hierarchical_section_title: Desert Campaign (1833–34) / Campaign
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of operations in the "Conquest of the desert" by Rosas in 1833. Español: Mapa sobre las operaciones de la Campaña al Desierto realizada por Rosas en el año 1833. Los puntos geográficos e históricos son sólo a modo ilustrativo y su ubicación y escala no es precisa.
context_page_description: The Desert Campaign (1833–34) was a military campaign in Argentina led by Juan Manuel de Rosas against the indigenous people of the southern Pampas and northern Patagonia. The campaign was later followed by the Conquest of the Desert, which took place in the 1870s and 1880s.
context_section_description: Harsh terrain played a significant factor in the military campaign, as there were no European settlements on the route Rosas's army travelled, and his force had to transport all of its provisions from Buenos Aires. Because of the remoteness of the theatre, messages had to be relayed between multiple couriers back to the city of Buenos Aires. Additionally, Rosas needed a substantial number of horses, which were difficult to obtain due to the ongoing Argentine Civil Wars.
  The campaign spanned from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes, and had several sections of attack. Félix Aldao from the Mendoza Province attacked the Mapuche in the south of his province and in Neuquen. Ruiz Huidobro, under the command of Facundo Quiroga, faced the Ranqueles in San Luis and Córdoba. Rosas led the section in the Buenos Aires province. Although de Rosas organized the overall campaign, the primary commander in the field was Quiroga. It was expected Chile would contribute additional military support; however, the nation was unable to do so, due to a mutiny against and assassination attempts on Diego Portales. De Rosas's command left Buenos Aires on March 22, 1833.
  Rosas divided the indigenous populations into three groups: friends, allies, and enemies. "Friends" were allowed to settle within the territories of the Buenos Aires province, and even on Rosas's farm. "Allies" were allowed to retain their own territories, and remained independent. De Rosas provided both of these groups with cattle and other goods. He personally interviewed the caciques, learning the Puelche language, and would later compile La gramática y diccionario de la lengua Pampa ("Grammar and Dictionary of the Pampa Language").
  The "enemies" group, which was composed of Ranquel and Mapuche, refused to negotiate with the Spanish colonial administration, and attacked rural villages and property in raids known as malones.
  The Ranquels were led by the famous warrior Yanquetruz, skilled in hit and run tactics. 
  Rosas led the military campaign against the "enemies" by building upon earlier campaigns by Martín Rodríguez and Bernardino Rivadavia. In doing so, Rosas was able to make much deeper incursions than his predecessors, and destroyed several indigenous settlements. Rosas later claimed his army had killed 3,200 indigenous people during the campaign, captured 1,200 prisoners, and rescued 1,000 captives.
caption: Map of Campaign Operations
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