The Federal State of Loreto was an unrecognised self-proclaimed

federated state A federated state (also State (polity), state, province, region, Canton (administrative division), canton, Länder, land, governorate, oblast, emirate, or country) is a territorial and constitutional community forming part of a federation ...

within

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 ...

, that was proclaimed on 2 May 1896 during the Loretan Insurrection. It was formed from the

Department of Loreto 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 ...

and existed as '' de facto''

autonomous In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be defi ...

region of the county. It was dissolved on 10 July 1896, after the rebellion was crushed by Peruvian forces. The state was proclaimed in order to gain more autonomy for the region as well as to reform Peru into a

federal state A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing status of the c ...

. Its capital was

Iquitos Iquitos (; ) is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province, Peru, Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the List of cities in Peru, ninth-most populous city in Peru ...

.Frederica Barclay Rey de Castro, ''El Estado Federal de Loreto, 1896James B. Minahan, ''Encyclopedia of Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups around the World, 2nd Edition'', p. 248.

History

The

was established on 7 February 1866 as one of the

departments 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, ...

. It was separated from the Department of Amazonas. During the

Amazon rubber boom The Amazon rubber cycle or boom (, ; , ) was an important part of the socioeconomic history of Brazil and Amazonian regions of neighboring countries, being related to the commercialization of Natural rubber, rubber and the genocide of indigenous ...

, the region had experienced enormous economic growth, making the city of

, one of the most important centres of latex export, to the detriment of the department's capital,

Moyobamba Moyobamba () or Muyupampa ( Quechua ''muyu'' circle, ''pampa'' large plain, "circle plain") is the capital city of the San Martín Region in northern Peru. Called "Santiago of eight valleys of Moyobamba" or "Maynas capital". There are 50,073 inh ...

. Additionally, the feeling of abandonment by the Peruvian government, as well as threats from neighbouring countries had contributed to the development of a feeling of disconnect from the rest of Peru among the local population. During the electoral campaign during the 1895 Peruvian presidential election, the candidate,

Nicolás de Piérola José Nicolás Baltasar Fernández de Piérola y Villena (known as "''El Califa''" ("The Caliph"); January 5, 1839 – June 23, 1913) was a Peruvian politician and Minister of Finance of Peru, Minister of Finance who served as the 23rd (1879 ...

had expressed his support in implanting the

federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

system in the country. However, after becoming the president, Piérola had supported the centralist system instead. On 2 May 1896, colonel Ricardo Seminario y Aramburú, together with a military member, Mariano José Madueño, had proclaimed the Federal State of Loreto, as a first step towards the establishment of the federal system in Peru. On 8 May, the state had signed a provisional constitution. The constitution stated that the Federal State of Loreto was an integral part of Peru, and recognized that articles of the Peruvian constitution had applied within the state. By 2 June, the movement had spread to the cities of

Yurimaguas Yurimaguas is a port town in the Loreto Region of the northeastern Peruvian Amazon. Historically associated with the Mainas missions, the culturally diverse town is affectionately known as the "Pearl of the Huallaga" (''Perla del Huallaga''). Y ...

and

. Following that, political organizations and public offices were established in those cities. News about the state proclamation reached

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, the capital of Peru, on 18 May 1896. The information came from

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, being relayed through

Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...

, the president of Peru, had ordered to organize three expeditions to counterattack the insurgents. The two of them went by land, one headed from

Chiclayo Chiclayo (; mochica language, Mochica: ''Cɥiclaiæp'') is the principal city and capital of the Lambayeque region and Chiclayo Province in northern Peru. It is located from the Pacific coast, from the city of Trujillo, Peru, Trujillo, and from ...

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Per ...

, and then traveling by the river to

, while second, traveled by railway and then by boat on Pichis River. The third expedition of 292 men, had traveled on board of ''Constitución'' gunboat, crossing the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Considered the most important natura ...

and then entering the Amazon River on 29 June. The last expedition didn't arrive on time. The insurgent forces lacked local support and had been defeated by the land expeditions on 10 July 1898. On 16 July, it had been reported in Lima that the leaders of the rebellion had fled the country.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Frederica Barclay Rey de Castro, ''El Estado Federal de Loreto, 1896. Centralismo, descentralización y federalismo en el Perú, a fines del siglo XIX''. ISBN 978-9972-623-61-5. * James B. Minahan, ''Encyclopedia of Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups around the World, 2nd Edition'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Loreto, Federal State Former unrecognized countries Territorial evolution of Peru Former subdivisions of Peru Department of Loreto Department of Ucayali Department of San Martín States and territories established in 1896 States and territories disestablished in 1896 1896 establishments in South America 1896 disestablishments in South America

History

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography