We Are Free, May We Always Be So
Civil War
In 1836, Peru was not a nation without problems. The nation of 3 million people contained many different ethnic groups that put strain on nation unity. In addition to this, its government was not a true democracy, as the elected president held total dictatorial power. In 1836, Peru was in the middle of an election campaign. Although the president held near total power during his term, the presidents were limited to two terms of 5 years each, so that no man could rule for over a decade. In 1836, Jose de la Mar was running for reelection against the charismatic Jose de la Riva Aguero. When the ballots were cast on July 1, Aguero came out on top and was elected president, gaining about 70 percent of the national vote.
Peru’s situation in 1836
The problem with Aguero, however, was the fact that he was an aristocrat from Lima with many connections to the former Spanish rulers. This made him very unpopular in southern Peru, also known as “Bolivia.” Since Bolivia had a higher indigenous population than the rest of the country, the tensions were only enflamed to higher levels. Soon, a call for Bolivian independence rose out of the region. When news of nationalists and liberals calling for independence, came to Lima, Aguero ordered the movement of thousands of troops into Bolivia. In 1837, Aguero decided to tour Bolivia and make speeches throughout the area, promising to preserve indigenous culture and grant greater autonomy from the central Peruvian government. But many were not convinced he would back up these claims. So on February 11th, a young man named Pedro Chaco took out a small pistol with 2 bullets in it and fired at the President during a speech. One bullet went into the President’s shoulder, the other into his neck. The third President of Peru, Jose de la Riva Aguero, died on February 13 1837. On February 28, Bolivian nationalists stormed the city hall in Sucre and proclaimed Bolivian independence. The Peruvian Civil War had begun.
A depiction of the Peruvian Civil War, green represents those that supported the current government, while the shades of red represent those who wanted Bolivian independence. The darker shade of red suggests the higher discontent and rebelliousness in those areas.
At first, the government did not know how to respond. The central administration was in turmoil and hastily elected the war hero, Antonio Jose de Sucre, as President. Fortunately, the widely popular de Sucre took control fast and ordered many more thousands of troops into the area. The first big battle of the war was fought on July 13 1837. Alfonso Hidalgo led an army of 8000 men into Arica and faced off against a disgruntled army of 3000 rebels. The rebels were poorly armed and many didn’t even have guns, and were forced to fight with machetes, pikes, and other farm tools. Hidalgo, on the other hand, had cannons and highly trained cavalry men. The combination of cavalry charges and cannon fire broke the rebel army within an hour, and by the end of the day, about 600 Peruvians were dead, compared to 2,500 Bolivians.
A graphic representing the Battle of Arica, near the Chilean border
The next battle of the war was the decisive battle of the conflict. It was fought near one of the major rebel centers and Bolivian cities, La Paz. Ironically, the bloodiest battle of the war took place near a city called “The Peace.” Ernesto Marquez led 10,000 men against 6000 rebels. The anxious and unruly rebels made the unfortunate decision to march out of the city and face the Peruvian army on open ground. Again, like at Arica, massive cannon barrages decimated the rebel army. Blinded by smoke, dust, and chaos, the rebels didn’t even realize that they were being surrounded. Once he had the rebels surrounded, Marquez ordered a total charge of infantry and cavalry that devastated the rebel army and the Bolivian movement for independence. By the end of August 30, 5000 rebels had been killed, compared to 1000 Peruvians.
A graphic representing the Battle of La Paz, which was fought within sight of the city
The last gasp for Bolivian independence was crushed at the Battle of Chuquisaca. Alfonso Hidalgo once again led his army against the rebels. This time, a small of force of 1400 rebels made a last stand against 7500 Peruvians. The rocky terrain of the area allowed for Hidalgo to take the high ground and use his cannons to decimate the rebel army, as had been the case with all the battles of the war. But this time, the rebels did not fall apart as before, but instead charged up the hills and captured the cannons. They then used these cannons to fire upon the Peruvians. The tide had completely turned. Now, the Peruvians were trying to charge up the hill and recapture the cannons. It was only after many exhausting hours and many casualties that the Peruvians finally recaptured their cannons and surrounded the few remaining rebels. What happened next still remains in the Bolivian psyche today. The rebel leader, Rodolfo Padilla stood strong with about 200 survivors and continued to fight, despite many chances to surrender. He fought with his men well into the night, until they had all died. When the sun rose on the morning of October 16 1837, all the rebels were dead, while the Peruvians had suffered 3000 casualties.
A graphic representing the Battle of Chuquisaca, an area known for its arid mountains
When the news of Padilla’s last stand spread, small revolts throughout the Bolivian countryside arose, but all these were crushed by the professional army of Peru. The last of these revolts was crushed in Sucre in early 1838. With the rebel capital of Sucre back under Peruvian control, the rebels were forced to capitulate. The Peruvian generals threatened to burn Sucre and La Paz to the ground and to execute all of their 10,000 Bolivian prisoners if peace was not signed. So on August 17th 1838, the rebels signed peace in Sucre and agreed to stay under the control of Peru and vowed never to revolt again, under pain of death. However, in a controversial move, Alfonso Hidalgo still rounded up the rebel leaders, including the ones that signed the peace, and hanged them in public in front of the horrified population of Sucre. Despite this betrayal, the Bolivian people had lost all hope for independence and ceased their revolts. The bloody Peruvian Civil War had last a year and a half and had cost the lives of about 16,000 men, women, and children, but Peru was still a united and strong nation.