Juana López (c. 1845,

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

— 24 January 1904,

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital city, capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's Chilean Central Valley, central valley and is the center ...

, Chile) was a Chilean

vivandière Vivandière or cantinière is a French name for women who are attached to military regiments as sutlers or canteen keepers. Their actual historic functions of selling wine to the troops and working in canteens led to the adoption of the name 'cant ...

during the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

. An officer's saber surrendered to López is now preserved in the collection of the National Historical Museum of Chile.

Early life

Nothing is known of López's early life except that she was born Juana López in

in about 1845.

Military service

At the outbreak of the

in April 1879, López's husband and three sons enlisted in the

Chilean Army The Chilean Army () is the land arm of the Chilean Armed Forces. This 80,000-person army (9,200 of which are conscripts) is organized into six divisions, an army aviation brigade and a special operations brigade. In recent years, and after sever ...

. López also enlisted to keep the family together, but they were separated into different units and functions. López became a

and was attached to the 2nd Valparaíso Battalion. López's husband and two sons were killed in the

Battle of San Francisco The Battle of San Francisco, also known as the Battle of Dolores, was a major battle in the Tarapacá Campaign of the War of the Pacific, fought on November 19, 1879, in the Peruvian department of Tarapacá. A Chilean army under Colonel Emilio ...

, while the third died during Lynch Expedition. Five days before the Battle of San Juan, López gave birth to a boy. López recorded the dates of the battles in which she participated on a captured officer's sword. Those battles were

Antofagasta Antofagasta () is a port city in northern Chile, about north of Santiago. It is the capital of Antofagasta Province and Antofagasta Region. According to the 2015 census, the city has a population of 402,669. Once claimed by Bolivia follo ...

, Pisagua,

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

Tacna Tacna, officially known as San Pedro de 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 f ...

, Chorrillos, and Miraflores. In recognition of her service, López was awarded three medals.

Post-war life

Like many other women involved in the War of the Pacific and despite her decorations, López was forgotten by Chilean society after the war. She received a pension of 15

pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol commonly known a ...

and was cared for in her old age by her daughter, Ceferina Vargas. After López's death, local newspapers noted the proportional tininess of her pension compared to male veterans of the war.

Death

López died on 24 January 1904 of

endocarditis Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves. Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, o ...

in Chile's capital,

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

and was buried in its General Cemetery. On 7 August 1910, Ceferina Vargas's instigation, a

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

tombstone and an iron fence were erected on López's grave. Veterans of the Pacific War, a marching band, and the Santiago Police Department marched in honor of López to commemorate the finishing of her tomb.

Citations

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Juana 1840s births 1904 deaths Chilean nurses Chilean people of the War of the Pacific Female wartime nurses People from Valparaíso