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The war grew out of a dispute between Chile and Bolivia over control of a part of the Atacama desert that lies between the 23rd and 26th parallels on the Pacific coast. The territory contained valuable mineral resources, particularly sodium nitrate from guano, and secondarily saltpeter. The government of Bolivia wanted to levy taxes on the commercial operators exploiting the area, who happened to be Chilean and British.
National borders in the region had never been definitively established; the two countries negotiated a treaty that recognized the 24th parallel as their boundary and that gave Chile the right to share the export taxes on the mineral resources of Bolivia's territory between the 23rd and 24th parallels. But Bolivia subsequently became dissatisfied at having to share its taxes with Chile and feared Chilean seizure of its coastal region where Chilean interests already controlled the mining industry.
Bolivian and Chilean historians disagree on whether the territory of Chacras , originally part of the Viceroyalty of Peru and later of the Viceroyalty de la Plata included access to the sea. Supporting their claims with different documents, the Bolivians claim that it did; the Chileans disagree. When Simón Bolívar established Bolivia, he claimed access to the sea, although most economic exploitation of the coastal region was being conducted by Chilean enterprises, under the aegis of Chile's more robust economy and more stable institutions.
The dispute was originally between Chile and Bolivia but Peru was brought into the war because it had an alliance with Bolivia and Argentina to contain what they perceived as Chile's imperialist ambitions in the region. Argentina never fulfilled its obligations.
In 1878, Bolivia, under President Hilarión Daza , tried to increase the taxes of the Chilean Antofagasta Nitrate Company over the protests of the Chilean government of President Aníbal Pinto . When Bolivia threatened to confiscate the company's property, Chilean armed forces occupied the port city of AntofagastaFor the copper-mining company named after the region, see Antofagasta plc''. Antofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, and is the capital of both Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. It has a population of 296,905 according to ( 2002) census. on February 14February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 320 days remaining, 321 in leap years. Events 1014 Pope Benedict VIII recognizes Henry of Bavaria as King of Germany. 1076 Pope Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV, Holy Roman Em, 1879. In response, Bolivia invoked its secret alliance with Peru, the Treaty of 1873 , with brought the latter into the conflict.
From the beginning of the war, it was clear that for an inevitably difficult desert war, control of the sea would be crucial.
The Bolivians had no navy, and Chile quickly defeated Peru's small navy, destroying one of its two best iron-clad warships. In the naval Battle ofIquique Naval Combat is a battle that took place during the War of the Pacific between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru. Context During the first year of the war, Chilean war efforts were focused on destroying the Peruvian Navy. This, in ord Iquique Bay , the Chilean sloop Esmeralda was sunken by the ironclad HuascarThe Huascar was a Peruvian warship during the War of the Pacific, which was captured by Chile at the Battle of Angamos on October 8, 1879. It is now berthed in the port of Talcahuano, Chile, as a floating memorial to both Chilean and Peruvian naval herois, while in a concurrent battle called by Chilean historians The Naval Battle of Punta Gruesa but included in the previous one by Peruvian historians, the gunboat Covadonga made the larger ironclad Independencia run aground. Ultimately, Independencia was shelled to a wreck; Chileans viewed Arturo Prat , captain of the Esmeralda, as a martyr to their cause. Five months later the Chileans captured Peru's only other important ironclad, the Huascar, in the Battle of AngamosNaval combat where peruvian ironclad "Huascar" was captured by the Chilean Navy in 1879 at the War of the Pacific between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru. Huascar captain, Miguel Grau, was killed in the combat. After this battle, Peru had n.
Dominating the seas enabled the Chilean army to invade Peru. Chile had land superiority as well, having the advantage of modern artillery and better rifles.
An attempt at mediation by the United StatesThe United States of America also referred to as the United States U. America ¹ or the States is a federal republic in central North America, stretching from the Atlantic in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. It shares land borders with Canada in failed in October 1880Events January 1 Construction of the Panama Canal begins February 2 The first electric streetlight is installed in Wabash, Indiana February 13 Thomas Edison becomes the second person to observe the Edison Effect. February 17 Bomb explodes in Winter Palace; by that time, Bolivia, defeated in a series of desert battles and in the Chilean occupation of Morro de AricaThe hill Morro de Arica is a steep and tall hill located in Arica, Chile. Its heigth is 139 meters above sea level. The combat El Morro de Arica was the last bulwark of defence for the allied troops standing in the city of Arica. It was assaulted in June, had withdrawn from the war. After Peruvian defeats in the battles of San Juan and Miraflores, Lima fell in January 1881 to the forces of Chilean General Manuel Baquedano ; the southern suburbs of Lima were sacked and burned to the ground. (Chilean historians claim that the Chilean troops entered Lima to prevent looting and destruction after the collapse of authority there; Peruvian historians are unanimous in saying that those same Chilean forces were responsible for the looting and destruction.)
With little effective Peruvian central government remaining, Chile pursued a brutal campaign throughout Peru, especially on the coast and the central Sierra, penetrating as far north as Cajamarca. Remarkably, even in these circumstances, Chile was not able to completely conquer Peru. As war booty, Chile confiscated the National Library from Lima along with much capital stock.
Peruvian resistance continued for three more years, with US encouragement. Finally, on 20 October 1883, Peru and Chile signed the Treaty of Ancón , by which the Tarapacá province was ceded to the latter.
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