Marcos Maturana del Campo (c. 1802 – August 29, 1871) was a

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an military and

political figure A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served in the Chilean War of Independence and the

War of the Confederation The War of the Confederation ( es, Guerra de la Confederación) was a military confrontation waged by Chile, along with Peruvian dissidents, and the Argentine Confederation against the Peru–Bolivian Confederation between 1836 and 1839. As ...

. Maturana was born in

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

, the son of Manuel Jesús Maturana Guzmán and of Petronila del Campo. In 1818, (at the age of 16) he became a cadet of the ''Húsares de la Muerte'' under Manuel Rodríguez, and participated in the

Battle of Maipú The Battle of Maipú ( es, Batalla de Maipú) was a battle fought near Santiago, Chile on April 5, 1818, between South American rebels and Spanish royalists, during the Chilean War of Independence. The Patriot rebels led by Argentine general Jo ...

, during the Chilean War of Independence. By 1820 he already was a second Lieutenant, and a member of the expedition to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, where he fought in the siege of

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists o ...

. Maturana was promoted to captain in 1824, and participated in the Chiloé campaigns of 1825 and 1826. During the

Chilean Civil War of 1829 Chilean may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Chile, a country in South America * Chilean people * Chilean Spanish * Chilean culture * Chilean cuisine * Chilean Americans See also *List of Chileans This is a list of Chileans who ar ...

, he participated in the battles of Ochagavía and Lircay. In 1831 Maturana was promoted to Major and in 1834 to Lieutenant colonel. During the

he fought at the battles of Portada de Guías (1838) and Yungay (1839), and in the capture of

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

. In 1847 he was promoted to Colonel and named Aide-de-camp to President

Manuel Bulnes Manuel Bulnes Prieto (; December 25, 1799 – October 18, 1866) was a Chilean military and political figure. He was twice President of Chile, from 1841 to 1846 and from 1846 to 1851. Born in Concepción, he served as the president of Chile bet ...

. On April 20, 1851, during the

Urriola mutiny Urriola is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Ciro Luis Urriola (1863–1922), Panamanian politician * Malú Urriola (1967–2023), Chilean poet *Martiniano Urriola Martiniano Urriola Guzmán was a Chilean colonel of the War ...

, he successfully defended his barracks against the attack of a full regiment and decisively contributed to the restoration of the public order. Maturana participated in the

Occupation of the Araucanía Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

during the later stages of the

Arauco War The Arauco War was a long-running conflict between colonial Spaniards and the Mapuche people, mostly fought in the Araucanía. The conflict began at first as a reaction to the Spanish conquerors attempting to establish cities and force Mapuche ...

, was promoted to Brigade General in 1854 and Division General in 1865. In 1855 he was elected

Deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

for Santiago until 1858. President

José Joaquín Pérez José Joaquín Pérez Mascayano (; 6 May 1801 – 1 July 1889) was a Chilean political figure. He served as the president of Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the sou ...

named him Minister of War and Navy, a position he held between July 9, 1862 and January 4, 1865. In 1864 he was again elected a deputy and in 1866, he became the Senior General Officer (equivalent to Army Commander-in-chief) and a Councilor of State. In 1867 he was elected Senator and reelected in 1870, position he retained until his death. He retired from the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army ( es, Ejército de Chile) is the land arm of the Military of Chile. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, a special operations brigade and an air brigade. In recent years, and a ...

in 1870, after 57 years, 4 months and 9 days of service and died in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

the following year, at the age of 69.