Why did Diego de Almagro’s expedition return to Peru without colonizing Chile?

Diego de Almagro’s expedition to Chile in 1536–1537 failed to establish a colony primarily because the Spaniards did not find the wealth or high civilizations they had encountered elsewhere in the Americas. Seeking an "Otro Peru" ("Another Peru"), the expedition reached as far south as the Maule River but discovered neither gold nor the sophisticated societal structures they sought.12

Discouraged by these findings, the expedition decided to return immediately to Peru. Additionally, Almagro’s return was hastened by political instability in Peru, where an Indigenous uprising had besieged the Spanish fortress of Cuzco, requiring his urgent intervention. The negative reports brought back by his men subsequently delayed further attempts to colonize the region until the expedition of Pedro de Valdivia in 1540.123