The Conquest of the Desert ( ) was a military campaign Military_operation directed Self_motion mainly by General Julio Argentino Roca in the 1870s with the intent Aiming to establish Creating Argentine dominance over the Patagonian Desert , which was inhabited Placing by indigenous peoples .

Under General Roca , the Conquest of the Desert extended Cause_change_of_position_on_a_scale Argentine power into Patagonia and ended Process_end the possibility of Chilean expansion Expansion there .