Battle of Maipú, (April 5, 1818), during the South American wars of independence, a victory won by Argentine and Chilean rebels, commanded by José de San Martín, leader of the resistance to Spain in southern South America, over Spanish royalists, near Santiago, Chile.
The six-hour battle left 2,000 royalists dead and 3,000 captured; the patriots lost about 1,000 men. It ended the struggle for Chilean independence.