Arica was a historical
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
, which existed between 1823 and 1883. It was populated by
pre-Hispanic peoples for a long period of time before Spanish colonisation in the early 16th century saw the transformation of a small town into a thriving port. Trade in both gold and silver was facilitated through Arica after the
precious metals were first extracted from the
Potosí silver mines of Bolivia. Following the
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
, the province was transferred to Chile and became an official Chilean territory in 1929.
History
The department was located in
southern Peru, near the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
. It was limited to the north by the
Tacna Province
Tacna is the largest of four provinces in the Department of Tacna in southern Peru located on the border with Chile and Bolivia. Its capital is Tacna.
Geography
The Tacna Province is bounded to the north by the Jorge Basadre Province and the T ...
, in the south by the
Tarapacá Department, on the east by
Bolivia, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.
Arica was established in 1823, as part of the
Department of Arequipa. In 1828, the capital city of the province was changed from Arica to
Tacna
Tacna is a city in southern Peru and the regional capital of the Tacna Region. A very commercially active city, it is located only north of the border with Arica y Parinacota Region from Chile, inland from the Pacific Ocean and in the valley of ...
. In 1837, the province joined the established Department Litoral with capital at Tacna. In 1853, the province was moved to the newly established
Department of Moquegua
Moquegua () is a department and region in southern Peru that extends from the coast to the highlands. Its capital is the city of Moquegua, which is among the main Peruvian cities for its high rates of GDP and national education.
Geography
The ...
, along with the provinces of Moquegua, Tacna and
Tarapacá. In 1855, the province was divided into two, forming the provinces of Tacna and Arica.
In 1868, the city of Arica was almost completely destroyed during an
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
that also affected the areas north of the city, as well neighboring Bolivia and Chile.
In 1875, Arica was transferred to the newly established Department of Tacna, along with the provinces of Tacna and Tarata. In 1875, the province itself was divided into six districts: Arica, Belén,
Codpa, Livilcar,
Lluta, and
Socoroma. In the 1883
Treaty of Ancón
The Treaty of Ancón was a peace treaty signed by Chile and Peru on 20 October 1883, in Ancón, near Lima. It was intended to settle the two nations' remaining territorial differences at the conclusion of their involvement in the War of the Paci ...
Arica and Tacna provinces were transferred to Chilean control for ten years, and then were to have been subject to a plebiscite, one that was never held. ''De facto'', that was the end of the Peruvian province of Arica, although the dispute was not settled until the 1929
Treaty of Lima.
[Jane, Lionel Cecil (1930) "The question of Tacna-Arica ..." ''Transactions of the Grotius Society'' 15: pp. 93–119]
Notable people
*
Guillermo Billinghurst, President of Peru
*
Gerardo Vargas Hurtado, Author and journalist who campaigned for
Arica
Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the capita ...
and
Tacna
Tacna is a city in southern Peru and the regional capital of the Tacna Region. A very commercially active city, it is located only north of the border with Arica y Parinacota Region from Chile, inland from the Pacific Ocean and in the valley of ...
to return to Peru during the
Tacna-Arica dispute.
See also
*
Tarapacá Department (Peru)
*
Treaty of Ancón
The Treaty of Ancón was a peace treaty signed by Chile and Peru on 20 October 1883, in Ancón, near Lima. It was intended to settle the two nations' remaining territorial differences at the conclusion of their involvement in the War of the Paci ...
*
Treaty of Lima (1929)
The Tacna–Arica compromise or Treaty of Lima was a series of documents that settled the territorial dispute of both Tacna and Arica provinces of Peru and Chile respectively. According to the Treaty, the Tacna-Arica Territory was divided bet ...
*
Tacna Province (Chile)
The Tacna Province was a territorial division of Chile that existed between 1884 and 1929. It was ceded by the Treaty of Ancón in 1883 and placed under military administration, and then created on the 31st of October 1884, incorporating the for ...
*
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific ( es, link=no, Guerra del Pacífico), also known as the Saltpeter War ( es, link=no, Guerra del salitre) and by multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought ...
*
Battle of Arica
The Battle of Arica, also known as ''Assault and Capture of Cape Arica'', was a battle in the War of the Pacific. It was fought on 7 June 1880, between the forces of Chile and Peru.
After the Battle of Tacna and the following Bolivian withdr ...
Notes
References
{{reflist
External links
Providing that the city of Tacna, is the capital of the province of AricaProviding that in the provinces of Tacna and Tarapaca, forming a departamento litoralAgain creating the province of Arica in the department of Moquegua
History of Peru