Tarapacá was a

Department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

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 ...

, which existed between 1878 and 1884, when it was unconditionally ceded to

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 east a ...

after 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 ...

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 ...

History

The department was located in southern Peru, near 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 contin ...

. It was limited to the north by the

Arica Province Arica Province ( es, Provincia de Arica) is one of two provinces of Chile's northernmost region, Arica y Parinacota. The province is bordered on the north by the Tacna Province of Peru, on the south by the Tamarugal Province in the Tarapacá Regi ...

within Moquegua Department, in the south and east by

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 ...

, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean. The

curaca A ''kuraka'' (Quechua for the principal governor of a province or a communal authority in the Tawantinsuyu), or curaca (hispanicized spelling), was an official of the Inca Empire who held the role of magistrate, about four levels down from the Sa ...

(tribal chief) of the coastal region in Tarapacá of the Kingdom of

Chucuito Chucuito is a village in the Chucuito District, Puno Province, Peru. It is from the city of Puno. It sits at above sea level. The population is 7,913. The town was important in pre-Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire a ...

was Felipe Lucaya, until the Spanish conquest. In 1600, parcels Lluta, Arica, Azapa, Tarapacá were handed over to Pedro Mesia Cordova, who then handed over the valleys of Tácana and Sama. In 1612 Pope Paolo V authorizes the establishment of the Diocese of Arequipa in which were seven jurisdictions including the district of San Marcos Arica comprising the regions of Tacna, Tarata, Sama, Ilabaya, Locumba, Putina and Tarapacá. By 1777 the village of

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 capi ...

was composed of Ilo, Tacna, Arica, Iquique, Pica, Ilabaya, Tarata, Codpa. In 1837, 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 between the states of Peru, divided into the Republic of North Peru and the Republic of South P ...

established the within South Peru, separating the provinces of Tacna and Tarapacá from the "Departamento de la Ley" (i.e.

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara and qu, Ariqipa) is a city and capital of province and the eponymous department of Peru. It is the seat of the Constitutional Court of Peru and often dubbed the "legal capital of Peru". It is the second most populated cit ...

). In 1841, under

Agustín Gamarra Agustín Gamarra Messia (August 27, 1785 – November 18, 1841) was a Peruvian soldier and politician, who served as the 4th and 7th President of Peru. Gamarra was a Mestizo, being of mixed Spanish and Quechua descent.Larned, Smith, Seymour, S ...

's second government a

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

between

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 ...

and

took place. Gamarra was seeking to annex the former

Upper Peru Upper Peru (; ) is a name for the land that was governed by the Real Audiencia of Charcas. The name originated in Buenos Aires towards the end of the 18th century after the Audiencia of Charcas was transferred from the Viceroyalty of Peru to th ...

Lower Peru Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Gloucestershire, England See also *Nizhny Nizhny (russian: Ни́жний; masculine), Nizhnyaya (; feminine), or Nizhneye (russian: Ни́� ...

, but was defeated at the

Battle of Ingavi The Battle of Ingavi occurred on November 18, 1841, during the Peruvian-Bolivian War of 1841-1842, in the town of Ingavi, Bolivia. The Bolivian Army, commanded by Jose Ballivian, there met an invading Peruvian Army commanded by Agustín Gamarra ...

in 1841 by General

José Ballivián José Ballivián Segurola (5 May 1805 – 6 October 1852) was a Bolivian general during the Peruvian-Bolivian War. He also served as the ninth president of Bolivia from 1841 to 1847. Early life Born in La Paz to wealthy parents, Ballivián ha ...

. Ballivián's troops occupied Puno, Moquegua, Tacna and Tarapacá, until Peruvian José María Lavaysen's troops from Sama defeated the invading army. In Locumba, Colonel Manuel de Mendiburu also organized forces, as well as Justo Arias Aragüez in 1842. In 1868, Tarapacá Province was separated from 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 ...

under the name of "Litoral Province" on December 1. On August 17, 1878, the Department of Tarapacá was established, replacing the Litoral Province of the same name. After the

, the territory was occupied by Chile, and the

was signed on October 20, 1883. The territory was formally integrated into Chile on October 31, 1884.

Administrative divisions

Tarapacá was divided into two provinces:

References

External links

''En la Memoria y en la Historia''
a paper reflecting on the cultural and historical loss that Peru suffered with the territorial loss of Arica, Iquique and Tarapacá. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tarapaca Department (Peru) Former subdivisions of Peru