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 from the Pacific Ocean and in the valley of the Caplina River. It is Peru's tenth most populous city.

The city has gained a reputation for its patriotism, with many monuments and streets named after heroes of Peru's struggle for independence (1821–1824) and the War of the Pacific (1879–1883). Residents of Tacna are known in Spanish as '.

History

Pre-Columbian era

At the time of the Spanish conquest, the region around Tacna was already multiethnic, displaying a mix of local sedentary populations and mitma settlers from the Altiplano. The proportions of these are that the first made up about 66% of the population and the latter 25%. Fishing-oreinted people known as Camanchacos made up about the remaining 9% of the population. Much of the population practising agriculture is believed to have spoken the Puquina language. In 1540 the encomienda system was established in Tacna and its sorroundings with conquistador Lucas Martínez de Vegaso obtaining 1,638 encomienda indians (a third of tributaries distributed). Pedro Pizarro and Pedro de la Fuente followed in numbers receiving each approximately 600 tributaries.

Colonial era

Francisco Antonio de Zela, a royal accountant (similar in function to a modern-day income tax auditor), initiated the push for Peruvian Independence from Spain in 1811 in Tacna, leading to a series of commemorative actions for the city, culminating in the 1828 declaration of Tacna as the "Heroic City" (') by President José de La Mar.

Republican era

Tacna was the capital of the short-lived Peru–Bolivian Confederation (1836–1839).

The city was once known for its mining industry; it had significant deposits of sodium nitrate and other resources. Its economic prosperity attracted a wave of immigrants from Italy. Today, their Italian Peruvian descendants live in the city and many of them still have Italian surnames. This era of successful commerce and agriculture ended drastically with the start of the War of the Pacific. Hosting a large Peru-Bolivian army under poor sanitary conditions the city lost a substantial part of its population to infectious diseases before its capture by Chile in May 1880 following a defeat of the allied army in the outskirts of the city by a Chilean force under General Manuel Baquedano.

Chilean administration

During the war, Tacna—as well as neighbouring Arica—was administered by the Chilean Army and incorporated as a commune that served as the seat of the eponymous department and province. In modern Peruvian historiography, this period is known as the . The Treaty of Ancón was signed in 1883 between Peru and Chile, ending the war. Under the terms of the treaty, Chile was to administer the provinces of Tacna and Arica for ten years, taking control of valuable mineral deposits, after which a plebiscite was to be held to determine the region's sovereignty. But when the ten years had elapsed, the two sides could not agree whether to include a large number of imported Chilean laborers in the vote. Throughout the administration, Chilean groups and authorities led a campaign of Chilenization in an attempt to persuade the local population to abandon their Peruvian past and accept Chilean nationality. However, Peruvian nationalists ensured that the Chilean propaganda failed and the planned plebiscite was never held.

The commune was formally created through a decree on 22 December 1891, taking into account the limits assigned by the decrees of 9 November 1885 and 10 May 1886, and was composed of four subdelegations: ''El Callao'', ''San Ramón'', ''El Mercado'' and ''El Alto de Lima''.

According to the 1907 census, the population that year was numbered at 10,593 people. During this period, people such as Jorge Basadre and Salvador Allende (as well as his family) lived in the city.

Starting in 1 February 1928, by virtue of Decree with Force of Law No. 8,583 published that 28 January under the government of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, the commune of Tacna was composed of three subdelegations: ''Intendencia'', ''Comercio'' and ''Pocollay''. This decree also ordered the creation of the communes of Palca and Sama, which together with Tacna formed a single municipal group; That is, neither Palca and Sama had their own communal government as in most communes in Chile.

In 1929, the Treaty of Lima was signed in which Chile kept Arica, whilst Peru reacquired Tacna and received a $6 million indemnity and other concessions. The commune ceased to exist when the treaty became effective on 28 August, in a ceremony held at the home of the prefect Federico Fernandini, in which an agreement was signed between the interim mayor of the Chilean province of Tacna, Gonzalo Robles, and a delegation of Peru headed by Foreign Minister Pedro José Rada y Gamio. At 4 p.m. that day, the Peruvian municipality of Tacna began its functions.

Present

Today, Tacna is a mostly commercial city with many migrants from the Puno Region living there. Its economy is based on mercantile activities with the north of Chile (Arica and Iquique). Since it is part of a duty-free zone, Tacna has come to rival Arequipa as southern Peru's main business area. The city has one of the largest artifact markets in the world with imports from Japan and China, and traditional Peruvian handicrafts.

Geography

The area is generally desert, with a few fertile spots near the mountains. Except for Caplina, no rivers cross the entire province.

Climate

Tacna has a desert climate (''BWk/BWh'', according to the Köppen climate classification).

Tourist attractions

Many monuments are located in this city, including the arch of the Alto de la Alianza and the Tacna Parabolic Arch.

Other monuments include a neo-renaissance Cathedral, the Courthouse, the Alameda Bolognesi and the caves of Toquepala, where archaeologists have found some of the oldest human remains in Peru.

Festivities

The most important festivity in the city is the ''Semana de Tacna'' ("Tacna Week"), which runs from August 25–30.

On 28 August, a large Peruvian flag is shown throughout the city during the ', which celebrates the anniversary of the reincorporation of Tacna into Peruvian sovereignty and is one of the most important patriotic demonstrations in the whole country. This tradition started in 1901, during the Chilean administration of Tacna, by a group of ''tacneños'' who defied the prohibition of showing Peruvian flags imposed by the Chilean authorities.

There is an agrarian and industrial fair as part of these celebrations.

In September, the festival of the Señor de Locumba is celebrated, which draws thousands of faithful people from all over the world.

Transport

Rail

Tacna was served by a cross-border railway to Arica, Chile. The line closed in 2012, but as of June 2014, there were plans to reopen it. It is also the location of the National Railway Museum of Peru.Southern Peru Railroads
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Air

Tacna is served by the Crnl. FAP. Carlos Ciriani Santa Rosa International Airport, with flights to Arequipa and Lima.

Road

Tacna is also served by Peru Highway 1 which heads south to Arica and north to Moquegua.

Gallery

File:Tacna Plaza de Armas.jpg, Main square in San Martin area
File:Tacna plaza de armas.jpg, Arco Parabólico, Pileta and Glorieta de Tacna, located in the Av. San Martín
File:Mercadoviejo.jpg, Coctel Mercado Viejo

See also

* 2001 southern Peru earthquake
* Tacna Departament
* Tacna Province
* Tacna District
* Tarata
* Tacna during Chilean administration (1883–1929)
* Diocese of Tacna y Moquegua

References

External links

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{{Authority control

Populated places in the Department of Tacna
Populated places established in 1572
Capitals of former nations
Chile–Peru border crossings
Cities in Peru
1572 establishments in the Spanish Empire
Regional capital cities in Peru