Ladislao Cabrera (May 23, 1830 – 1921) was a

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 hero 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 ...

. Born in Totora,

Cochabamba Department Cochabamba (, , ), from Quechua ''qucha'' or ''qhucha'', meaning "lake", ''pampa'' meaning "plain", is one of the nine departments of Bolivia. It is known to be the " granary" of the country because of its variety of agricultural products from ...

, Carrasco Province, he is famous for organising the defence of Calama against the Chilean invaders in the

. Ladislao Cabrera studied and graduated as a lawyer in

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara language, Aymara and ), also known by its nicknames of ''Ciudad Blanca'' (Spanish for "White City") and ''León del Sur'' (Spanish for "South's Lion"), is a city in Peru and the capital of the eponymous Arequipa (province), ...

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 ...

. He returned to Bolivia and was named prefect of Cobija, but was removed from office during the government of

Mariano Melgarejo Manuel Mariano Melgarejo Valencia (13 April 1820 – 23 November 1871) was a Bolivian military officer and politician who served as the fifteenth president of Bolivia from December 28, 1864, until his fall on January 15, 1871. He assumed power ...

, after that he was a forensic specialist in the province of Calama. When he found out about the invasion of Chile of

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 ...

during the

he organized the defence of Calama with 135 Bolivians in the

Battle of Topáter The Battle of Topáter, or Battle of Calama, was fought on March 23, 1879, between Chile and Bolivia. It was the first battle of the War of the Pacific. The Chileans were taking possession of the Antofagasta (Litoral) Province, then a part of ...

, resulting in a Bolivian defeat after fierce resistance to Chilean forces. After the defeat he went to Chiu Chiu, and then he moved to

La Paz La Paz, officially Nuestra Señora de La Paz (Aymara language, Aymara: Chuqi Yapu ), is the seat of government of the Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bolivia. With 755,732 residents as of 2024, La Paz is the List of Bolivian cities by populati ...

, where he managed to be an ambassador and interim

president of Bolivia The president of Bolivia (), officially known as the president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia (), is head of state and head of government of Bolivia and the captain general of the Armed Forces of Bolivia. According to the Bolivian C ...

in the year 1881. He died in

Sucre Sucre (; ) is the ''de jure'' capital city of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the sixth most populous city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . This relatively high ...

in December 1921. Ladislao Cabrera Province is named in his honour.

External links

Cabrera biography (in Spanish)
1830 births 1921 deaths People from Carrasco Province Bolivian military personnel of the War of the Pacific 19th-century Bolivian lawyers 19th-century Bolivian politicians {{Bolivia-mil-bio-stub pt:Ladislao Cabrera