San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, also known simply as Tarapacá, is a town in the region of the same name in

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 ...

History

The town has likely been inhabited since the 12th century, when it formed part of the Inca trail. When Spanish explorer

Diego de Almagro Diego de Almagro (; – July 8, 1538), also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo, was a Spanish conquistador known for his exploits in western South America. He participated with Francisco Pizarro in the Spanish conquest of Peru. While subduing ...

reached the settlement in 1536 it was already inhabited by locals. After being conquered by the Spanish, the town was part of the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru (), officially known as the Kingdom of Peru (), was a Monarchy of Spain, Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in ...

, and then of the Peruvian state. Tarapacá saw itself the protagonist of the Battle of Tarapacá 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 ...

. Despite the Peruvian victory, the troops located in the area relocated to nearby

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 ca ...

in the direction 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 ...

, allowing 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 ...

to occupy the area, creating a disadvantage, and was afterwards given to

under the

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 ...

. The war had a negative effect on the population, the Peruvian refugees who had formerly inhabited the town were sent by the Peruvian government to the

Loreto region Loreto () is Peru's northernmost department and region. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, Loreto is by far the nation's largest department, slightly smaller than Japan; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to ...

in order to populate the area. The areas in which they settled were called Tarapacá and

Puerto Arica Puerto Arica is a town and municipality in the Colombian Department of Amazonas. As of 2015, the population of Puerto Arica was 1,350. History Originally founded by Peruvian refugees from the War of the Pacific, it was awarded to Colombia afte ...

, in Northern Amazonas. However, after the Salomón–Lozano Treaty, the area was ceded to

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, with the original inhabitants moving south to Maynas, next to the

Napo River The Napo River () is a tributary to the Amazon River that rises in Ecuador on the flanks of the east Andean volcanoes of Antisana, Sincholagua and Cotopaxi. The total length is . The river drains an area of ca 103,000 km2. The mean annual dis ...

, founding another

and Tarapacá. The area, rich in saltpeter, contributed to the homonymous industry, and was of such importance that, around the 1920s, the province became a space of constant migration with the arrival of foreigners, mostly from

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

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 ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, as well as

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

from

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

, which increased the population in the area, going from around 54,000 inhabitants in 1885 to over 115,000 in 1920. As the population increased, so did trade. Goods were imported from the central zone of Chile and neighboring countries, as well as Europe, North America and Asia. Because of its historical importance, architectural features and archaeological heritage, the town was declared ''Zona Típica'' by the

Government of Chile Chile's government is a Representative democracy, representative democratic republic, in which the President of Chile serves as both head of state and head of government, within a formal multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by th ...

in 1973. The Festival of San Lorenzo is a religious celebration occurring every year in Tarapacá. It begins on August 6.

Notable people

Ramón Castilla Ramón Castilla y Marquesado (; 31 August 1797 – 30 May 1867) was a Peruvian ''caudillo'' who served as President of Peru three times as well as the Interim President of Peru (Revolution Self-proclaimed President) in 1863. His earliest p ...

, President of Peru. *

Antonio Gutiérrez de la Fuente Antonio Gutiérrez de la Fuente (8 September 1796 – 14 March 1878) was a Peruvian politician who also served in the Peruvian military. He briefly served as President of Peru from June 7 to September 1, 1829. Gutiérrez de la Fuente was born i ...

, military leader and provisional President of Peru. * Bautista van Schouwen, Chilean

marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

, founder of the Revolutionary Left Movement

References

{{reflist

External links

Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales de Chile: Iglesia y campanario del pueblo TarapacáPatricio Núñez Henríquez: ''La Antigua aldea de San Lorenzo de Tarapacá, Norte de Chile'' in ''Chungara: Revista de Antropología Chilena'', publ. Universidad de Tarapacá, No. 13 (Nov 1984), pp. 53-65
Populated places in Tarapacá Region

History

Notable people

See also

References

External links