Atacama Province (), also known as the Litoral Province of Atacama (), was a
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
that existed from 1829 to 1839, with its capital in the port of
La Mar, named after
José de la Mar
José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ).
In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...
, who fought at the
battle of Ayacucho
The Battle of Ayacucho (, ) was a decisive military encounter during the Peruvian War of Independence. This battle secured the independence of Peru and ensured independence for the rest of belligerent South American states. In Peru it is conside ...
.
Starting in 1836, as part of the
Bolivian State, it was under special administration of the
Peru–Bolivian Confederation
The Peru–Bolivian Confederation () was a short-lived state that existed in South America between 1836 and 1839. The country was a loose confederation made up of three states: North Peru and South Peru—states that arose from the division of th ...
, since access to this territory was easier through a Peruvian port than by land through Bolivian territory.
History
On July 1, 1829, Bolivian President
Andrés de Santa Cruz
Andrés de Santa Cruz y Calahumana (; 30 November 1792 – 25 September 1865) was a Bolivian general and politician who served as interim president of Peru in 1827, the interim president of Peru from 1836 to 1838 and the sixth president of ...
, by decree, created this new subnational entity, elevating the rank of the province of Atacama—until then a
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Potosí Department
Potosí (; Southern Quechua, Quechua: ''P'utuqsi''; Aymara language, Aymara: ''Putusi'') is a Departments of Bolivia, department in southwestern Bolivia. Its area is 118,218 km2 and its population is 856,419 (2024 census). The capital is the ...
—into an independent province with a governor which responded directly to the president, thus reaching a hierarchy higher than a common province, but lower than a department, also having a senator as a representative before the
Senate of Bolivia
The Chamber of Senators () is the upper house of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in the Political Constitution of the State and others determined by Bolivian laws. Th ...
.
See also
*
Subdivisions of the Peru–Bolivian Confederation
The Peru-Bolivian Confederation was divided into 3 states; Republic of North Peru, North Peru, Republic of South Peru, South Peru and the Bolivian Republic (Peru-Bolivian Confederation), Bolivian Republic. These states were subdivided into departm ...
*
Bolivian Republic (Peru-Bolivian Confederation)
References
{{coord missing, Bolivia
Subdivisions of the Peru–Bolivian Confederation
Historical regions in Bolivia