Irene Morales
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Irene Morales Infante (1 April 1865 – 25 August 1890) was a Chilean soldier who served in 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 ...
. She was born in a
barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
of
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 lived in poverty throughout her life, working as a
seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notable d ...
from an early age. When the War of the Pacific began she was only 13 years old, and had been orphaned and twice widowed. Her second husband was executed by the
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 ...
n military for killing a soldier. She fought alongside the troops of her unit in the battles of the Tarapacá Campaign in late 1879, at Pisagua and
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 ...
. Her valor in these battles and her care for wounded comrades drew the attention of Chilean commander-in-chief
Manuel Baquedano Manuel Jesús Baquedano González (; January 1, 1823 – September 30, 1897) was a Chilean soldier and politician, who served as Commander-in-chief of the Army during the War of the Pacific, and briefly as President of Chile during the civil wa ...
, who provided her with official recognition and the rank of a
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
. She continued to serve in the army for the duration of the war and was famously courageous at the
Battle of Tacna The Battle of Tacna, also known as the Battle of the Peak of the Alliance (Spanish: ''Batalla del Alto de la Alianza''), effectively destroyed the Peru-Bolivian alliance against Chile, forged by a secret treaty signed in 1873. On 26 May 1880, ...
in 1880. After the war, she returned to civilian life and died in obscurity, aged only 25. Now considered one of Chile's greatest heroes of the war, her service only became widely known after her death.


Early life

Morales was born on 1 April 1865 in La Chimba, a
barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
on the
Mapocho River The River Mapocho () ( Mapudungun: ''Mapu chuco'', "water that penetrates the land") is a river in Chile. It flows from its source in the Andes mountains onto the west and divides Chile's capital Santiago in two. Course The Mapocho begins at the ...
in
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 ...
, the daughter of carpenter Ventura Morales and Marta Infante. Her father died when she was young, and she moved with her mother to Valparaiso. There she started to learn her mother's trade as a
seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notable d ...
until her mother married her to an older man in 1877, at age 11. Her husband died during the first year of their marriage, and her mother died about the same time. Left without any family, Morales headed for
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 ...
, then a port town in
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 ...
that was booming due to the nitrate mines in the area. She travelled there as a
steerage Steerage is a term for the lowest category of passenger accommodation in a ship. In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, considerable numbers of persons travelled from their homeland to seek a new life elsewhere, in many cases North Amer ...
passenger, with a ticket she bought by selling nearly all of her possessions. While working there, she met Santiago Pizarro, a Chilean in his 30s who made his living in a Bolivian military band, and married him in mid-1878, aged 13. He was tried and executed on 21 September of that year for killing a Bolivian soldier in a drunken brawl. She found his body dumped by the side of the railway tracks and took a gold ring from his finger, which she wore for the rest of her life. Pizarro's execution was widely protested by the mostly Chilean population of Antofagasta, which resented what was seen as an unjust Bolivian government.


Military service

On 14 February 1879, Chilean forces entered Antofagasta to the welcome of most of the local population, beginning 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 ...
against Bolivia and
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 ...
. Many locals 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 ...
, and Morales enlisted as a soldier to avenge her husband by disguising herself as a man and slipping in unnoticed amid the frenzy of patriotism. Her deception did not last long, for Capt. Hermógenes Cámus saw through her disguise immediately—because of her curved figure and "feminine beauty," he said. Nonetheless, he allowed her to be an unauthorised army cantinière and
nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
. These were the only positions available to women in the army at the time, and many women effectively served as both, which Morales did. As a cantinière, she sold food and drink to supplement soldiers' monotonous basic rations, staying with them at their camp and marching with them on operations, and since she was a nurse, she had to be present immediately after battles to care for the wounded. Morales was first sent to Cámus's unit, the 3rd Regiment of the Line, which was at the front of Chile's campaigns during much of the war. Although she officially was not a soldier and was not supposed to participate in combat, this did not deter her from fighting alongside the men of her regiment. Indeed, she was noted for her great skill with a rifle. She fought at the amphibious landing and fierce ensuing assault on a Peruvian position of the
Battle of Pisagua The Battle of Pisagua ("Desembarco y combate de Pisagua"), was a landing operation of the War of the Pacific, fought on November 2, 1879, between Chile and the combined forces of Bolivia and Peru. The Chilean army commanded by Erasmo Escala, supp ...
on 2 November 1879 and at 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 ...
on 19 November. She was looked up to by the men of her unit for her selfless nursing of the wounded after battles. She also put herself at risk several times to save captured Peruvian soldiers from being abused by her compatriots. Hearing of her deeds, the commander-in-chief of Chile's military, General
Manuel Baquedano Manuel Jesús Baquedano González (; January 1, 1823 – September 30, 1897) was a Chilean soldier and politician, who served as Commander-in-chief of the Army during the War of the Pacific, and briefly as President of Chile during the civil wa ...
, summoned Morales to meet him and officially authorised her to wear the uniform of a cantinière (as she had done so without authorisation before) and gave her the rank and pay of a
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
(''sargento segundo'', lit. "second sergeant"). She later moved to the 4th Division, in which she served during the
Tacna and Arica Campaign The Tacna and Arica campaign is known as the stage of the War of the Pacific after the Chilean conquest of the Peruvian department of Tarapacá, ending with Chilean domination of the Moquegua department in southern Peru. During this campaign Bo ...
. At the
Battle of Tacna The Battle of Tacna, also known as the Battle of the Peak of the Alliance (Spanish: ''Batalla del Alto de la Alianza''), effectively destroyed the Peru-Bolivian alliance against Chile, forged by a secret treaty signed in 1873. On 26 May 1880, ...
on 26 May 1880, she continued to provide water to the exhausted men at the front lines after she received a slight wound herself. She was one of the first soldiers to enter the city 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 ...
that evening, and soldiers of the Carabineros de Yungay cavalry regiment recalled her riding into the town on a horse, raising her rifle as they passed by and crying "Viva Chile!". After the battle, she was stricken for some time with an illness she picked up from prisoners of war she had cared for, and she wrote a letter to a friend of hers in Antofagasta, assuming she was on her deathbed. Nonetheless, later writers said she was present at the
Battle of Arica The Battle of Arica, also known as ''Assault and Capture of Cape Arica'', was a battle in the War of the Pacific. It was fought on 7 June 1880, between the forces of Chile and Peru. After the Battle of Tacna and the following Bolivian withdra ...
two weeks later and ordered the mass killing of captured Peruvians, an account also inscribed on a Peruvian memorial to the dead. During January 1881, she fought at the Battle of Chorillos and
Battle of Miraflores The Battle of Miraflores occurred on January 15, 1881 in the Miraflores District of Lima, Peru. It was an important battle during the War of the Pacific that was fought between Chile and the forces of Peru. The Chilean army led by Gen. Manuel ...
and was among the Chileans who entered Lima after the city was captured. While all her contemporaries in Chile recognised her heroism, and the common soldiers she served with looked up to her as the "nun of charity," some men said Morales had gone too far for a woman by taking up a rifle.
Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna (August 25, 1831 – January 25, 1886) was a Chilean writer, journalist, historian and politician. Vicuña Mackenna was of Irish and Basque descent. Biography Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna was born in Santiago, the ...
praised her for her dedication and bravery and for her hatred for those who killed her husband, but in 1881 gave her the free advice that she should not put herself at such risk and should "return quietly to her poor home and restart the life of a real woman in manual labor, in caring for her relatives, in work with the needle and thimble, and exchange, after several years of adventures and passions, the revolver for her honored and beloved sewing machine." She did not follow this advice and remained in the army until the end of the war, fighting in the
Battle of Huamachuco The Battle of Huamachuco was fought on the 10 July 1883, and it was the last major battle of the War of the Pacific. The Chilean soldiers, led by Colonel Alejandro Gorostiaga, decisively defeated the Peruvian army commanded by General Andrés ...
on 10 July 1883, the last battle of the war. Men like Mackenna were right to say she put herself at unusual risk for a woman at the time, for several other Chilean cantinières were killed after being captured by Peruvians during the war.


Later life and legacy

After the end of the war, Morales returned to her birthplace of Santiago. While few knew of her actions during the war, the men she served alongside remembered her well. When she appeared at the unveiling of the monument to the common Chilean ''
roto ''Roto'', f. ''rota'', (literally "torn" or "broken") is a term used to refer to Chilean people and in particular to the common Chilean. In Chile, from the start of the 20th century, it was applied with a negative classist connotation to poor ...
'' at the Plaza Yungay, she received some of the most enthusiastic applause. After years of illness, she died in anonymity in the common room of a Santiago hospital on 25 August 1890, aged only 25. For her, widespread recognition came only after her death. On 25 August 1930, 40 years after her death, Col. Enrique Phillips wrote an article dedicated to her in ''
El Mercurio (known online as ''El Mercurio On-Line'', ''EMOL'') is a Chilean newspaper with editions in Valparaíso and Santiago. is owned by El Mercurio S.A.P. (''Sociedad Anónima Periodística'' 'joint stock news company'), which operates a network of ...
'' that brought her into attention, in which he praised her in the highest terms, saying: "The Judiths of Chile were many in that glorious time, but none exceeded in valour Irene Morales, the paragon of Chilean women." In the years after her death, a number of poems were written on her, including one by Rómulo Larrañaga, and she was featured in many works of patriotic literature. A street near the
Plaza Baquedano Plaza Baquedano, commonly known as Plaza Italia, is a major landmark in Santiago, Chile. The plaza was inaugurated in 1928, being crowned by a monument made by Chilean sculptor Virgínio Arias and featuring General Manuel Baquedano, giving th ...
in Santiago is named in her honour, the ''Calle Irene Morales''. During the turbulent years of the 1970s, she was among the historical Chilean women embraced as symbols by both conservative and left-wing women's political organisations. In modern times, she has been described as one of Chile's "greatest heroes" of the War of the Pacific. Her remains are kept in the Military Mausoleum at the
Cementerio General de Santiago The Santiago General Cemetery () in Santiago, Chile, is one of the largest cemeteries in Latin America with an estimated two million burials. The cemetery was established in 1821 after Chile's independence when Bernardo O'Higgins inaugurated the ...
, which is maintained by the Chilean Army. Morales is often compared to
Candelaria Pérez Candelaria Pérez (1810 – 28 March 1870) was a Chilean soldier who served in the War of the Confederation (1836–39) against the Peru–Bolivian Confederation. She took up a rifle and fought alongside the troops she served with. She was consid ...
, a Chilean cantinière of the earlier
War of the Confederation The War of the Confederation () was a military confrontation waged by the United Restoration Army, the alliance of the land and naval forces of Chile and the Restoration Army of Peru, formed in 1836 by Peruvian soldiers opposed to the conf ...
who was also praised for her courage and who also came from La Chimba.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morales, Irene 1865 births 1890 deaths Chilean Army enlisted personnel Chilean military personnel of the War of the Pacific Women in 19th-century warfare Military personnel from Santiago, Chile Chilean women Female child soldiers Women in war in South America 19th-century Chilean military personnel