The old and the new Peru

by Marie Robinson Wright

In Arica, as well as Tarapacá, nitrate exists in large quantities; and this product, the exports of which had already, in 1875, reached a quarter of a million tons annually, was then rapidly making Tarapacá the richest province of Peru, and its capital, Iquique, a flourishing centre of commercial prosperity. When war brought disaster to the country a few years later, and the indemnity demanded by Chile meant the dismemberment of the republic, the Littoral Province of Tarapacá, ceded unconditionally, became a part of Chile at the same time that Tacna and Arica passed into the temporary possession of that country, in accordance with the treaty of Ancón, in 1883.

Thus, by the mere accident of being a border province, Tarapacá—whose people had fought for their country in all its battles; had been taught from their cradles to worship the national heroes and to emulate their patriotic deeds; had been among the first to join their fellow-countrymen when a call to arms brought the nation into the field against a common foe—Tarapacá, the victim of circumstances, was condemned to recognize the government that had issued a declaration of war against its people, and, in the hour of victory, had demanded its territory as payment for the costs of war. The conquering nation made what has been regarded by many as an exorbitant claim; but Chile acted on precedent and within the law of nations. The deplorable fact is not that a country should have taken the full measure of its reward for victory, but that, after nearly two thousand years of Christianity, it should still be permitted among Christian nations for one government to demand, and another to grant, the dismemberment of a united nation, whose sons have stood together as compatriots through all its vicissitudes, have labored for its well-being and gloried in its progress; and that they and their property should suddenly be placed under foreign jurisdiction, because the decisions of a war council will it so. It is believed by some pessimists that the dominion of military force is as strong to-day as ever, and that only the necessity for preserving “the balance of power” prevents wars of conquest in the twentieth century as relentless as those of the fifteenth—but who, that has seen the “Christ of the Andes,” or read the Constitution of the United States, can believe this to be true?

BRIDGE ACROSS THE SAMA RIVER, PROVISIONAL BOUNDARY BETWEEN PERU AND CHILE.

As regards Tacna, the situation being temporary, or presumably so, one’s sensibilities are not so afflicted by the condition. When the plebiscite comes, a majority vote will suffice to give the Peruvians back their ownership, on their government’s paying ten million dollars indemnity. These provinces have always been closely identified with the political life of Peru. It was from Tacna that the first band of patriots started out to join the Independent forces on the plain of Oruro against the royalist armies; and it was from this capital that the voice of the grand old republican, Gonzales Vigil, sounded the first clarion notes of appeal for liberal government in the newly organized councils of the nation. Statesmen, scholars, and soldiers have come out of the homes of Tacna and Arica to serve their government in the cabinet, the college, and the battlefield. And the Morro de Arica, a perpetual monument to the courage of Peruvian officers, serves ever to remind those who wait for the promised plebiscite that their children must be told its history.

SNOW PEAKS ON THE BOLIVIAN BORDER, TACNA.

By the terms of the treaty mentioned, the Sama River marks the northern boundary of the territory occupied by Chile, which leaves a part of the provinces of Tacna and Tarata under Peruvian government. The entire area of these provinces is about fourteen thousand square miles, the districts at present occupied by Chile covering three-fourths of the territory. The Department of Tacna extends from the Pacific Ocean inland to the Bolivian border, and is bounded on the north and northwest by the Peruvian states of Puno and Moquegua. The coast region is warm and dry, and the pampas of Arica are rich in nitrate deposits. The city of Arica, situated on the beautiful bay of the same name, possesses one of the most delightful climates in the world. It is the seaport terminus of the Tacna and Arica railway, and the chief outlet for the traffic of a vast territory. The new offices of the Arica and La Paz railway—which is now under construction by Chile to connect the Bolivian city with this seaport—occupy a handsome building overlooking the harbor, and the city has several attractive public edifices, parks, and plazas. Tacna is the social and educational centre of the department, and its capital; though under the existing conditions, the centre of Peruvian government is established at Locumba, on the Locumba River, within the territory still under the control of Peru. Tacna was given the title and privileges of a town by supreme decree in 1823, in recognition of the brave services its people had rendered to the cause of Independence; and a few years later it was raised to the dignity of “Heroic City,” when it became the capital of the province. The government authorities of that part of the province of Tacna occupied by Peru reside at Ilabaya, in the northwestern district of Ilabaya, a picturesque town on the river of the same name. The province of Tarata has also two capitals, the Chilean authorities occupying Tarata, and the Peruvian government being centred at Candarave, sixty miles from Locumba.

CALLE SAN MARTIN, NEAR PARK ENTRANCE, TACNA.