Tacna (;

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

Quechua Quechua may refer to: *Quechua people, several indigenous ethnic groups in South America, especially in Peru *Quechuan languages, a Native South American language family spoken primarily in the Andes, derived from a common ancestral language **So ...

: Taqna) is the southernmost department and region in

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 ...

. The

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 eas ...

an Army occupied the present-day Tacna Department during 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 ...

from 1885 to 1929 when it was reincorporated into Peruvian soil.

Geography

The department of Tacna is bordered by 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 conti ...

on the west, the

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 ...

on the north, the

department of Puno Puno () is a department and region in southeastern Peru. It is the fifth largest department in Peru, after Cuzco, Madre de Dios, Ucayali, and Loreto. It is bordered by Bolivia on the east, the departments of Madre de Dios on the north, Cusc ...

on the northeast, the

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

n La Paz Department on the east, and the

Arica-Parinacota Region The Arica y Parinacota Region ( es, link=no, Región de Arica y Parinacota ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It comprises two provinces, Arica and Parinacota. It borders Peru's Department of Tacna to the north, Boliv ...

of Chile on the south. The border between the Tacna Region and Chile is known as ''La Línea de la Concordia''. The region is located below the Titicaca plateau and has a diverse

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

, including

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates ...

es,

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

s, and mountainous zones, from which arise

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

s that go over the punas and the

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

s, thus forming the hydrographical system of this zone. The region is small in size but has a significant

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the econom ...

and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

potential. It has various

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

s and diverse production.

Climate

This area has a large amount of sunshine year round due to its stable descending air and high pressure. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Tacna has a

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in deser ...

, abbreviated "Bwh" on climate maps.

History

Prehistoric era

There is evidence of the presence of a very early culture that goes back more than 10 000 years. The

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

investigations in the region have proved that a civilization dwelled in this zone in the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...

. The

Toquepala Caves Toquepala may refer to: * Toquepala Caves in Peru * Toquepala mine The Toquepala mine is a large porphyry copper mine in the Tacna Province, Tacna Department, Peru. The mine is an open-pit mine producing copper, molybdenum, rhenium and silver ...

(7630 BC) and Abrigo de Caru (6240 BC) belong to this age. There are other sites such as Girata Complex, Mullini, and Queñavichinca, where investigations have not been concluded.

Spanish conquest

The first groups of

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

conquerors arrived in the region in 1535. These groups were formed by members of the Almagro expedition, organized to conquer Chile. During this time, the city of Tacna was called Villa San Pedro de Tacna. In 1615 and 1784 Tacna experienced violent earthquakes, and many towns were reduced to ruins. However, they were rebuilt by their people who decided to stay in the same place.

19th century

Tacna has a seat of honor in the emancipation process. Since 1810, the local patriots, following the example of their

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

neighbors, who had already declared their independence, started to conspire. In 1811,

Francisco Antonio De Zela Francisco Antonio de Zela y Arizaga (born July 24, 1768 in Lima - died July 18, 1819 in Panama City) is notable for sending forth the first libertarian outcry in the Peruvian city of Tacna on June 20, 1811 in an attempt to start the independence ...

sent forth the first libertarian outcry in Tacna. Once the Peruvian independence was consummated, the heroism of this city was honored by promoting it to the rank of villa in 1823. On 26 May 1828, President

José de La Mar José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...

promulgated a law given by Congress by which the city of Tacna was given the title of ''Ciudad Heroica'' (Heroic City). The administrative divisions before the war against Chile were as follows: During the

against Chile, the ''tacneños'' placed themselves in the front line, offering their lives defending the nation.

Chilean administration

On 26 May 1880, after the Battle of

Alto de la Alianza The Alto de la Alianza Monumental Complex ( es, Complejo Monumental Alto de la Alianza) is a historical monument and landmark complex in the south of Peru, near the city of Tacna. The monument is located in the site of the Battle of Tacna, a ba ...

, 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 ...

occupied the Tacna province. Under the terms of the treaty, Chile was to occupy the provinces of Tacna and Arica for ten years, after which a plebiscite was to be held to determine the region's sovereignty. Tacna remained under Chilean control for 50 years, during which Chilean groups and authorities lead a campaign of Chilenization in an attempt to persuade the local population to abandon their Peruvian past and accept Chilean nationality. However, Peruvian

nationalists Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

ensured that the Chilean propaganda failed and the planned plebiscite was never held. Finally, in 1929, the Treaty of Lima was signed in which Chile kept Arica, while Peru reacquired Tacna and receiving $6 million indemnity and other concessions. Some of the important persons that lived in Tacna during the Chilean administration was

Salvador Allende Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (, , ; 26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean physician and socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 3 November 1970 until his death on 11 September 1973. He was the fir ...

and his

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

; they lived eight years in the city. Salvador lived in Tacna since he was a baby, he arrived in 1908 and studied in the Tacna School (Liceo de Tacna). From 1890 to 1929,

Locumba Locumba is a town in the Tacna Region in southern Peru. It is the capital of Jorge Basadre Province. From 1890 to 1929, the town served as the provisional capital of Tacna Department due to the city of Tacna Tacna is a city in southern Peru and ...

served as the provisional capital of the area of the Department not under Chilean administration.

Maritime dispute

On 26 January 2007, Peru’s government issued a protest against

’s demarcation of the coastal frontier the two countries share. Peruvian President

Alan García Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez (; 23 May 1949 – 17 April 2019) was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the Peruvian Apri ...

recalled his ambassador to Chile, Hugo Otero, to Lima to consult about the controversy over the

maritime boundary A maritime boundary is a conceptual division of the Earth's water surface areas using physiographic or geopolitical criteria. As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive national rights over mineral and biological resources,VLIZ Maritime Boun ...

the two countries share. According to the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, the Chilean legislatures endorsed a plan regarding the

Arica and Parinacota region The Arica y Parinacota Region ( es, link=no, Región de Arica y Parinacota ) is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It comprises two provinces, Arica and Parinacota. It borders Peru's Department of Tacna to the north, Bolivi ...

which does not comply with the current, established demarcation of the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

. Moreover, they allege that the proposed Chilean law includes an assertion of

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

over 19,000 square meters of land in Peru's Department of

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 ...

. According to the Peruvian Foreign Ministry, Chile had defined a new region "without respecting the Concordia demarcation." The Peruvian government maintained that the dispute over the Chilean plan is part of an ongoing maritime dispute whereby Chile has tried to use the demarcation process to extend its maritime frontier. Over the past 50 years, Peru has maintained claims over roughly 40,000 square kilometers of ocean territory. The

an government has asserted that the region in dispute is not a coastal site named Concordia, but instead refers to boundary stone No. 1, which is located to the northeast and 200 meters inland. Given that the proposed Chilean law does not recognize the borderline established by both nations in the 1929 agreement, Peru lodged diplomatic protests with Chile. In the complex territorial dispute, Chile is asserting the border near the Pacific Ocean to fit in the geographical parallel, which Lima asserts will cut off at least 19,000 squares meters of the Peruvian territory. A possible border dispute was averted when the Chilean Constitutional Court ruled on 26 January 2007, unconstitutional legislation. Peru said, "could be seen as a move by Chile to encroach on its maritime territorial sovereignty." While agreeing with the court's ruling, the Chilean government reiterated its stance that the maritime borders between the two nations were not in question and have been formally by the international community. Peruvian Foreign Minister Jose Garcia has expressed that his country may turn to the international court at

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

but has said that the necessary documents for that action are not ready. On 28 January 2007, Peru’s leading newspaper '' El Comercio'' reported that the President of the Cabinet of Ministers (Consejo de Ministros del Perú), Jorge del Castillo, expressed his grave concern over the pending maritime dispute with Chile.El Comercio /Politica/Lunes, 29 de enero de 2007
/ref> ICJ Peru Chile judgment map4

On 27 January 2014, in the final ruling of the

International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; french: Cour internationale de justice, links=no; ), sometimes known as the World Court, is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN). It settles disputes between states in accordan ...

located in

, Peru gained some maritime territory. The maritime boundary extends only to off of the coast. From that point, the new border runs in a southwesterly direction to a point that is equidistant from the coast of the two countries. Under the ruling, Chile lost control over part of its formerly claimed maritime territory and gave additional maritime territory to Peru. From the 27 January 2014 court press release:

Political division

The Tacna Region is divided into four

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 out ...

s ( es, provincias, singular: ''provincia''), which are composed of 26

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

s (''distritos'', singular: ''distrito'').

Provinces

The provinces, with their capitals in parenthesis, are: *

Candarave Candarave is a town in the Tacna Region Tacna (; Aymara & Quechua: Taqna) is the southernmost department and region in Peru. The Chilean Army occupied the present-day Tacna Department during the War of the Pacific from 1885 to 1929 when i ...

(

) *

Jorge Basadre Jorge Alfredo Basadre Grohmann (February 12, 1903 – June 29, 1980) was a Peruvian historian known for his extensive publications about the independent history of his country. He served during two different administrations as Minister of Educa ...

(

) *

(

) * Tarata ( Tarata)

Economy

Tacna's primary income earner is copper mining. Agriculturally, Tacna produces 53.15% of the whole olive crop in Peru. It also produces maize, potatoes, wheat, cotton, oregano, alfalfa, and grapevine (for the production of wine and pisco). It also has a sizable herd of dairy cattle and lamb. In addition to mining and agriculture, fishing is also important, as Tacna's sea is abundant in fish resources.

Local customs

Typical dishes and beverages

Tacna offers visitors colorful dishes exquisitely combined and abundantly served. The ''picante a la Tacneña'' and ''patazca Tacneña'' belong to this region. Corn and cheese, ''chicharrones'' with toasted corn, cuy, or guinea pig ''chactado'', corn cake with peanuts and raisins, baked pork, grilled lamb, are also local specialties. To drink, Tacna has macerated Brussels apricot, ''frutilla'' or tumbo, and wines produced in the local vineyards.

Festivities

Carnivals. They are celebrated in different towns and villages with typical local dances that can go on for entire days and nights. * April – Corn and Potato Festival in Tacna. * 26 May – Anniversary of the

Battle of Alto de la Alianza The Battle of Tacna, also known as the ''Battle of the Peak of the Alliance'' (Spanish: ''Batalla del Alto de la Alianza''), effectively destroyed the Peru-Bolivian alliance against Chile, forged by a secret treaty signed in 1873. On May 26, 1 ...

. * 7 June – Anniversary of the

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 ...

. * 20 June – Day to remember the tacneño patriot

. * 23 June. Night of San Juan. * 28 August. ''Procesión de la Bandera''. A singular and moving civic patriotic act in which the women of Tacna carry the red and white Peruvian flag through the streets of the city. Later, various associations, groups of students, and the armed and police forces take part in a parade that ends in the main square, where the Arch of the Heroes is located. For a week the locals celebrate the reincorporating of the Heroic City of Tacna as part of the Peruvian territory. Simultaneously, a fair for farm and livestock products, industrial goods, and handicrafts takes place.

References

External links

Gobierno Regional de Tacna
– Tacna Regional Government official website
Diario Digital Sur Noticias
– Tacna Digital News official website
www.tacnavirtual.com
web site of Tacna {{Authority control Regions of Peru