The 12 most important historical events of Peru (explained)
A review of the most important historical events in Peru, key to understand its past.
The Inca empire, the Viceroyalty of Peru, the independence, the dictatorship of Leguía... There are many historical events that have shaped Peruvian culture and identity.
Peru is a Latin American nation that has witnessed many historical events, both national and international, that have deeply marked and contributed to make it what it is today.
Among the many events that this country has lived through, we present below a compilation with the main historical events of Peruexplained.
The 12 main historical events of Peru
Peru is a Latin American nation full of culture, art and, of course, history. The Peruvian lands have witnessed many events, ranging from the rise of the Inca Empire to its fall before the arrival of the Spaniards, passing through the first breaths of libertarian and emancipatory air in times of American independence and, later, the political instability and territorial conflicts of the country. These are 12 of the most important historical events in Peru.
1. End of the Inca Empire
On November 15, 1532, the Spanish conquistadors commanded by Francisco Pizarro entered Cajamarca, present-day Peru.. There Pizarro arranges an interview with the Inca chief Atahualpa for the following day, with apparent diplomatic purpose, but everything is a trap. The Spaniards will prepare an ambush and, when the Inca arrives with his escort, they will precipitate on them without previous warning. They will manage to trap the great Inca, putting an end to the independence of his vast empire.
Atahualpa will try to get out of this situation by offering as a ransom for his freedom to fill the ranch where he is imprisoned with gold, silver and precious stones. At first, Pizarro accepts the offer, but Atahualpa remains imprisoned for a few more months until he is finally accused of idolatry, fratricide and treason. For this he is condemned to die at the stake, but his sentence is commuted to the garrotte for having embraced the Catholic faith, and he is finally executed on July 26, 1533.
Later, Pizarro and his men managed to take the Inca city of Cuzco, sacred capital of the Inca Empire, which at that time was inhabited by the Incas.which at that time was inhabited by about 100,000 people. This conquest ended up completely weakening the few Inca resistances that were still standing, completely disintegrating the Inca regime and contributing to the rebellion of the tribes that for centuries had been oppressed by this pre-Hispanic culture.
2. Foundation of Lima
Having already effective control over the ancient lands of the Incas, On January 6, 1535, three of Francisco Pizarro's trackers explored the Rimac valley, returning to the settlement of Pizarro.They returned to Pizarro's settlement to tell him about the many wonders they had found there.
Pizarro, astonished by all that his men said they had seen, decides to found on the 18th of that same year, decided to found the new capital on the 18th of that same month, which he named Ciudad de los Reyes (City of the Kings) in honor of the Three Kings of the East. in honor of the Three Kings of the East, in honor of the date on which the region was explored. With the passage of time, this same city would receive a new name: Lima, the current capital of Peru.
3. Beginning of the emancipation
On February 5, 1819, a treaty of alliance was signed in Buenos Aires between the government of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata and the Chilean government.with the aim of putting an end to the Spanish domination in Peru and thus beginning the process of emancipation. General José de San Martín considers that it is urgent, since he believes that the independence of the United Provinces will not be totally secure until Peru ceases to be an important bastion of royalist forces.
The Chileans Bernardo O'Higgins and Joaquín Echeverría signed this alliance and with this gesture the whole process of Peruvian independence was initiated. Barely a year later, On October 21, 1820, by decree issued by General San Martin, the flag and coat of arms of Peru were created.. The purpose of this is psychological, since having a symbol with which to identify, the Peruvian forces would be more motivated and united when fighting against the Spanish Empire.
4. Trujillo, first free city
On December 29, 1820, the city of Trujillo became a hot spot for the Peruvian emancipation. After a few days ago, the mayor of the city, José Bernardo de Tagle, received a letter from San Martín, dated November 20, 1820, inviting him to join the cause of independence, the act of independence of Trujillo was signed, the act of independence of the city was signed..
The Spanish flag is lowered, and the Peruvian national flag is raised for the first time, making Trujillo the first city to complete its independence from Spain.
5. Proclamation of the Independence of Peru
It is July 9, 1821 and the troops of the liberator José de San Martín enter Lima. Days later, on the 15th of the same month, San Martin will call an open town meeting and the Act of Independence of Peru will be signed. A little later, on July 28th, in a public ceremony, he will solemnly proclaim the independence of Peru from Spanish and any foreign domination.. General San Martin, together with the red and white flag that accompanied the revolutionaries during the campaign, proclaims the following words:
"Peru from this moment is free and independent by the general will of the people and by the justice of their cause that God defends. Long live the Fatherland! Long live freedom! Long live independence!"
On August 2 of that same year, San Martin will occupy the position of "protector of Peru", immediately setting about organizing the creation of a provisional government. In an effort to make Peru a truly independent nation, Simón Bolívar arrived on September 10, 1823 at the port of Callao, Peru, where he dedicated himself to the training of the Peruvian people.There, he trains and organizes the new army while he continues with his political activities and prepares the complete independence of the entire American continent.
6. Battle of Ayacucho
On December 9, 1824, the battle of Ayacucho took place, a place that means in Quechua "the corner of the dead". There the confrontation that put the definitive end to the Spanish domination of Peru and the continent, battle in which 5,000 American soldiers managed to defeat almost twice the number of royalist soldiers of Viceroy José de la Serna. At the end of that same month, the viceroyalty of Peru was abolished and, de facto, the nation was finally free.
7. Embrace of Maquinhuayo
On January 4, 1834, after the presidential election of Luis Jose de Orbegoso, Pedro Bermudez proclaims himself Supreme Chief. With this proclamation the young Peruvian nation enters into civil war, with the troops of Orbegoso and those of the general and military José Rufino Echenique confronting each other..
The conflict will end with what is known as the embrace of Maquinhuayo, when Echenique's rebellious troops pass to those of President Orbegoso. Bermudez, who no longer has de facto power nor is he the supreme leader of anything, will be expatriated to Costa Rica with a pension of 2,000 pesos granted to him by Orbegoso's own government.
8. Battle of Callao
In the context of the Spanish war against Peru and Chile, the battle of Callao took place on May 2, 1866. In spite of the fact that the Peruvian army was in evident disadvantage, thanks to the help of Bolivian, Chilean and Mexican troops, the people of South America were victorious against the Spanish attacks..
This victory has a lot of merit, since the Spanish battery was made up of about 7 main frigates, plus an army of small ships that, together, totaled more than 245 pieces of artillery. On the other hand, the Peruvian army had only a few ships, poorly equipped for battle, but thanks to Peruvian astuteness and the help of other Latin American nations, they were able to defeat many Spanish frigates.
9. The War of the Pacific (1879-1883)
On April 5, Chile declared war on the Peruvian alliance with Bolivia, its casus belli being the interest in the saltpeter lands of the Atacama Desert. interest in the saltpeter lands of the Atacama Desert, which is why this war of the Pacific is also called the War of Guano and Saltpeter.For this reason, the War of the Pacific is also called the War of the Guano and Saltpeter. During the War of the Pacific there were five campaigns: the Maritime Campaign (1879), the Tarapacá Campaign (1879), the Tacna and Arica Campaign (1880), the Lima Campaign (1880) and the Sierra Campaign (1881-1884).
On January 15, near Lima, the Battle of Miraflores took place, where Chile defeated and besieged the Peruvian capital, putting an end to the war with Peru.ending the war with Peru. Two years later, the war would end definitively, signing the Treaty of Ancon by which Bolivia would end up losing its only access to the sea.
10. Discovery of Machu Picchu
On July 24, 1911, the American professor and adventurer Hiram Bingham, a true Indiana Jones of the time, discovered the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. The ruins of this imposing city located at 2490 meters above sea level were completely covered by vegetation.Today, Machu Picchu is part of the select list of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.
11. Leguía's coup d'état
On April 4, 1919 Augusto Bernardino Leguía gives a coup d'état and initiates the Oncenio de Leguía.. He himself ran during the presidential elections of 1919, in which Leguía and his opponent Ántero Aspíllaga Barrera participated. Leguía was affected by numerous denunciations that ended up annulling thousands of votes in his favor, in addition to the fact that the Peruvian parliament opposed his election.
Faced with this situation, he decided to stage a coup d'état, which ended with the deportation of President José Pardo y Barreda to the United States, as well as the dissolution of Congress and the proclamation of Leguía as provisional president. But Leguía would not be in power forever, since he would be overthrown on August 22, 1930, thanks to several internal pronouncements and, in addition, to the fact that the world economic crisis of 1929 had notoriously affected the stability of Peru.
Peace did not come after the overthrow, quite the contrary. Peru began a period of revolts that led Luis Sanchez to assume the provisional presidency of the nation.. However, there were many who wanted to take power and, as a consequence, several popular revolutions took place, forcing Sanchez to resign, causing even more instability in the country. It would not be until the elections of October 11, 1931 that a certain stability would return, with Luis Sanchez emerging as the winner.
12. Cenepa War
On January 27, 1995, there was an armed confrontation between Peru and Ecuador over the dispute of 340 square kilometers on the border.. The main scenario of this war was the vicinity of the Cenepa River with six military settlements near the Condor mountain range. The fighting lasted a little over a month, ending on March 2, leaving behind numerous wounded and dead on both sides. Finally, on October 26, 1998, a peace treaty was signed, putting an end to their historic territorial dispute.
(Updated at Apr 12 / 2024)