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62-701: It is named in honor of a national hero, Colonel Francisco Bolognesi , who participated in the Battle of Arica during the War of the Pacific . It is used exclusively for the Ceremony of the Flag, which is celebrated every June 7, on Peruvian Flag Day. It was inaugurated on November 6, 1905. The edges of the plaza are formed by radial cut blocks, repeating the same architectural patterns on their façades. Their original design had

124-683: A few Chilean mines during the battle that caused some casualties. Bolognesi's sons Enrique and Augusto also fought in the War of the Pacific, and died later, during the Battle of San Juan and the Battle of Miraflores in Lima . Battle of Arica Loa Line and Altiplano campaign Tarapacá campaign Tacna and Arica campaign Lynch Expedition Lima campaign Chilean occupation of Peru Breña campaign 1881 1882 1883 Arequipa-Puno Line The Battle of Arica , also known as Assault and Capture of Cape Arica ,

186-600: A frenetic race for the summit. The infantry had to run up the hill facing the Peruvian men commanded by Colonel Bolognesi. Quickly the Chilean assault degenerated into a confusing pandemonium marked by the explosion of mines placed by the Peruvian defenders. The defenders were overrun and annihilated. Col. Bolognesi's plan was to blow up his gunpowder reserves when the Chileans reached the fort and cause massive casualties among

248-473: A matching set of republican style buildings, characterized by being painted entirely in blue. However, these are found today to be deteriorated and overcrowded. In the center stands an obelisk crowned with a sculpture of the hero standing in a triumphant manner, lifting the flag of Peru in one hand and holding a revolver in the other. It is a work by the Peruvian sculptor Artemio Ocaña, made of bronze with material from three tons of artillery shells. This sculpture

310-609: A most noble duty by perpetuating in granite and bronze the monument of admiration and gratitude that all Peruvians have erected in our hearts to that handful of brave men who, commanded by the heroic Colonel Bolognesi, saved in El Morro of Arica, with their generous sacrifice, the national honor. It was then the turn of Sáenz Peña, who, in front of the statue of his former boss, was seized with emotion and only said: "Present, my colonel!" . His speech contained this paragraph: "¡Pelearemos hasta quemar el último cartucho! Provocación o reto

372-497: A muerte, soberbia frase de varón, condigno juramento de soldado, que no concibe la vida sin el honor, ni el corazón sin el altruismo, ni la palabra sin el hecho que la confirma y la ilumina para grabarla en el bronce o en el poema, como la graba y la consagra la inspiración nacional. Y el juramento se cumplió por el jefe, y por el último de sus soldados, porque el bicolor peruano no fue arriado por la mano del vencido, sino despedazado por el plomo del vencedor". We will fight until we fire

434-476: A parley flag, requesting an interview with the commander of Arica. After Salvo was conducted to Bolognesi's headquarters in the city, they had the following dialogue: After consulting his officers on his decision, Bolognesi finally responded: "Tell your general that I am proud of my officers and am determined to fire until the last cartridge in Arica's defense, for it must not fall on your hands!" The phrase "until

496-411: A position in the military, he elected to remain in civilian life. However, in 1853, he enlisted and was selected as second in command of a cavalry regiment during a period of tension between Peru and Bolivia . While no armed conflict with Bolivia ensued, Bolognesi elected to remain in the military and took part in the revolution against then-President Echenique . After the successful revolution, Bolognesi

558-499: Is not related to the original monument, which was changed in 1954 during the government of Manuel A. Odría . The original sculpture, a work by the Spanish sculptor Agustín Querol , depicted Bolognesi clinging to a flagpole with his head bowed, about to collapse, at the same moment that he was killed in battle. From the beginning, this representation sparked criticisms, like those of the famous Manuel González Prada , who thought that

620-744: The Battles of Dolores and Tarapacá in November 1879. In April 1880, he was placed in command of the Peruvian port of Arica . He commanded the Peruvian forces surrounded in Arica by Chilean troops following the Chilean victory at Tacna . He organized and led a spirited defense of the port city by about 1,600 men against over 5,300 Chilean troops with extensive naval support. When Chilean messengers demanded surrender of Arica because of their 3 to 1 numerical superiority, he replied, "Tengo deberes sagrados que cumplir y los cumpliré hasta quemar el último cartucho" ("I have sacred duties, and I will fulfill them until

682-423: The "Huáscar" in the operation. The Chilean ironclad fought an ongoing and inconclusive duel with the "Manco Cápac". Though outclassed, the Peruvian monitor , covered by the land defenses, managed to hold the Chilean ships at bay for 4 months. During this time, Thomson died, being replaced by Carlos Condell. On 9 April, the Peruvian port of Callao was also put under blockade. On 8 March, a Chilean expeditionary force

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744-532: The 1st and 2nd Artillery regiments, taking under consideration the low casualties sustained by these units in the previous battle. The infantry had been equipped with the Comblain and Gras rifles. The Chileans totalled 8,000 soldiers with the late arrival of the Lautaro Battalion. After the battle of Tacna, Col. Pedro Lagos was ordered to take Arica at any cost. He was left to decide on his own

806-471: The 4,000 soldiers of Leiva's Second Southern Army. Even the addition of the remaining forces of Montero would not bring the Peruvian forces up to 6,000 men, and they had no artillery support whatsoever. After Tacna, the Chilean army kept its position at the outskirts of the city for a few days. This positioning prevented the Peruvians from reinforcing the garrison at Arica or communicating the order to leave

868-465: The Allied army at Tacna had not been obliterated and a portion of it would come to reinforce his position. After Tacna, Montero had decided to withdraw the forces guarding Arica, knowing that the port was already lost. Pierola's deputy, Del Solar, sent Col. Pacheco Cespedes to Arica in order to communicate the decision to abandon the city, but he never arrived at his destination, due to the Chilean troops in

930-716: The Allied countries led to the removal from office of both President Prado in Peru and Hilarión Daza in Bolivia, replaced respectively by Nicolás de Piérola and Gen. Narciso Campero . On 27 February, the Chilean Navy began bombarding the city's ground defenses. These defenses had a range of 3.5 km, providing a large covering zone for the remaining Peruvian ironclad , the Manco Cápac . The now Chilean warship Huáscar , after its resurfacing at Angamos, Grau had scuttled

992-692: The Bulnes Battalion stood for so long existed an extensive one having 30 quintals of dynamite. This was meant to blow up the entire city... Using the night's darkness, the 3rd Line and 4th Line regiments marched towards the Azapa Valley and to their objectives. The Peruvian sentries on the Ciudadela Fort saw the Chilean deployment and opened fire. The 3rd Line Regiment ran to the fort and took it in hand-to-hand combat. The defenders were very quickly defeated. The use of land mines had made

1054-402: The Chilean army was passing through. The engineer Elmore made a study of the terrain determining the soil resistance in order to make three galleries where the land mines were planted. ...five series on the right flank; seven on the left flank; four on the center. Each series had ten charges, each charge of ten kgs. of dynamite. In the city were several distributed by section. Under the park were

1116-525: The Chilean army, and prompted Colonel Bolognesi to vow to the Chilean emissary that he was going to defend the garrison to the last shot. One high-ranking officer who survived the battle and its aftermath was Lieutenant Colonel Roque Sáenz Peña , a volunteer officer of the Peruvian Army, who later went on to become President of Argentina . Since the Morro de Arica was the last bulwark of defense for

1178-601: The Chileans marched to Tacna on a perilous march. During this march, the Chilean Minister Rafael Sotomayor died at Las Yaras, being replaced by Jose Francisco Vergara. On 26 May, the Army of Northern Operations conclusively defeated an allied army of 10,000 in the outskirts of Tacna . This battle proved decisive because Bolivia was knocked out of the war and retired to the Andes, and never engaged in

1240-511: The Chileans. However, he was unable to do this and he fell in combat together with most of his men. The final assault was directed by the Commander of the 4th Line Regiment, Major Juan José San Martín (who died in battle) and Sergeant Major Felipe Solo de Zaldívar who was the first to reach the summit of the Cape. After 55 minutes, the Cape had been taken by Chilean troops. The Chileans won

1302-528: The Peruvian capital city seven months later. The city of Arica never returned to Peruvian hands. It was temporarily ceded to Chile after the signing of the Treaty of Ancon , on 1884; the city remained occupied by Chilean forces until the later signing of the Treaty of Lima in 1929, when it was ceded permanently to Chilean sovereignty. Since the outbreak of war in 1879, the initial naval stage came to an end with

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1364-468: The Peruvian flag was not lowered by the hand of the vanquished, but torn by the bullet of the victor. That same day the first oath of allegiance to the flag was carried out on behalf of the conscripts, a ceremony that has been held since then every year on June 7, the anniversary of the Battle of Arica . As a culminating act of the ceremony, President Pardo awarded the survivors of the Battle of Arica with

1426-484: The Tarapacá and Iquique battalions. The soldiers had mostly Chassepot rifles , providing lesser firepower than the Chilean weapons. After suffering heavy losses at the battle at Tacna, the Chilean command realized the need of a port in the area to resupply the troops and to evacuate the wounded. 4,500 men were sent to Arica, while another 13,000 were posted at Tacna and its surroundings, forming an impossible barrier for

1488-430: The allied troops standing in the city, the city was quickly captured. The Chilean assaulting troops engaged in widespread killing of the surviving and surrendering Peruvian soldiers and the citizens of the captured city, which was then looted. With the fall of the city, the ironclad Manco Cápac found herself short on supplies and with the nearest friendly port four days away at Callao . Faced with an impossible trip, she

1550-469: The area. After the Chilean forces started to concentrate on Arica, Bolognesi's troops were completely isolated. A Chilean cavalry vanguard captured the engineer Teodoro Elmore, who was to blow up the railroads captured by the Chileans in Lluta. With his capture, the Chilean army knew the location of minefields and reduced the troops' apprehension, thereby permitting a ground assault. The Peruvian garrison at

1612-493: The assaulting force furious and they took no prisoners. Only the action of the officers prevented a total annihilation of the Peruvian troops. ... I'd rather not remember. They abused their numbers, playing with their corvos and bayonets; they were as blind as raging bulls; I have no words... At the East Fort exactly the same thing happened. This stronghold was taken by the 4th Line Regiment, also outnumbering and obliterating

1674-436: The attack on their defenses and admitted that the garrison had no choice but to make the impending Chilean victory as hard as they could. ...we thought in any way in order to make the victory as difficult as we could. We had the expectation of forcing them to have the laurels of victory among fields of bodies, oceans of blood... The entire city was mined in order to inflict as many casualties as these gadgets could explode while

1736-475: The battle and Colonel Bolognesi was killed. Some other high-ranking Peruvian officers who also perished were Colonel Alfonso Ugarte (who drove his horse off the cliff down into the Pacific Ocean to prevent the capture of the Peruvian flag by Chilean forces), and Colonel Mariano Bustamante , his Chief of Detail. These three Peruvian officers belonged to the group that had rejected the offer to surrender to

1798-521: The capture of the ironclad ship Huáscar at Angamos, on 8 October 1879. After this, the Chilean Army disembarked at Pisagua on 2 November and drove the Allies inland. The Chilean Army claimed a series of victories at Germania and San Francisco , but ended with the Peruvian success at Tarapacá, on 27 November. Despite this latter victory, the Allies lost the Tarapacá department. Popular discontent in

1860-446: The cheers of those present. Then he delivered the following remarks: Señores: La Nación ha cumplido un nobilísimo deber al perpetuar en el granito y en bronce el monumento de admiración y gratitud que todos los peruanos tenemos erigido en nuestro pecho a ese puñado de valientes que, comandados por el heroico coronel Bolognesi, salvaron en el Morro de Arica, con su generoso sacrificio, el honor nacional. Gentlemen: The Nation has fulfilled

1922-455: The children of Roberto Abusada Salah, a renowned Peruvian economist. Roberto Abusada Salah was recognized for his significant contributions to Peru's economic policy, particularly during the 1990s when he played a crucial role in combating hyperinflation. He was involved with the military in July 1844, in an action at Carmen Alto, a local district of Arequipa , south region of Perú. While offered

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1984-462: The defenders in a frontal charge. The remaining defenders then retreated to their main defense up the cape, fighting back and trying to reorganize their lines. At this point, Colonel Lagos's idea was to wait for reinforcements of the "Buin" 1st Line Regiment to arrive before finally storming the Cape Fort. At the same time, the Peruvian monitor Manco Cápac , which was defending the Cape from the sea,

2046-574: The end of his life with a revolver and sword in hand. On 7 June 1880, the Chilean assault took Arica at a cost of 474 troops. Almost 1,000 of the Peruvian defenders, including Colonel Bolognesi, were killed in defense of the town. The Peruvian casualty levels in the battle were so high because many of the wounded Peruvian prisoners were shot by the Chileans. The Chileans ransacked buildings, started fires and attacked Peruvian consulates amongst other crimes. The Chileans justified these acts saying they were seeking revenge for explosions caused by Peruvians in

2108-468: The fierce hand-to-hand combat that developed at the top of el Morro, Colonel Bolognesi was shot and wounded. Clenching his revolver he continued fighting until he was killed from a blow to the head (some speculate a bullet being the cause of death). His soldiers defended his remains until they too were eventually killed. Next to Bolognesi, Juan Guillermo More, Captain of the Navy and Chief of Artillery, fought to

2170-401: The impossibility of continuing because the engines were overheated and its crew blew it up with a boom torpedo to avoid its capture by the enemy. Arica to this day remains part of Chile, and is a constant symbol of friction with its neighbors Peru and Bolivia. For Peru it is commemorated as Flag Day for the heroic stances of both Bolognesi and Ugarte together with the rest of the garrison, while

2232-653: The last cartridge has been fired" ( hasta quemar el último cartucho ), which has now become part of the Spanish language, is also the official motto of the Peruvian Army . After the defeat in Tacna, the Arica Peruvian garrison lost communication with the army in retreat. Only five survivors from it came to Arica with news about the battle. Several telegraphs sent to Tacna had no answer. Bolognesi still hoped that

2294-495: The last cartridge has been fired"). The expression "hasta quemar el último cartucho" ("Until the last cartridge has been fired") has passed into the Spanish language and is used today by the Peruvian Army as its official motto. Thus the Battle of Arica began. The Chileans struck first, attacking fort Ciudadela where the battalions of Grandaderos ( Tacna ) and Artesanos ( Arica ) fought fiercely. The old Colonel Justo Arias y Araguez died in combat, while Corporal Alfredo Maldonado

2356-428: The last cartridge! Provocation or challenge to death, superb phrase of man, condoned oath of soldier, who does not conceive of life without honor, neither the heart without altruism, nor the word without the fact that confirms it and illuminates it to engrave it in bronze or in poem, how he records it and consecrates the national inspiration. And the oath was fulfilled by the leader, and by the last of his soldiers, because

2418-730: The medals granted by the Congress of the Republic, as symbols of recognition and gratitude of the nation. 12°03′37″S 77°02′30″W  /  12.06025°S 77.04156°W  / -12.06025; -77.04156 Francisco Bolognesi War of the Confederation Peruvian Civil War (1856-1858) Ecuadorian–Peruvian War War of the Pacific Francisco Bolognesi Cervantes (4 November 1816 – 7 June 1880)

2480-407: The old Peruvian Commander died along with several officers and more than 1,000 men. The Chilean victory ended the phase of the conflict known as Campaña de Tacna y Arica (English: Campaign of Tacna and Arica), resulting in the occupation of the entire Tarapacá and Tacna provinces. After this action, a new stage began named Campaña de Lima (English: Lima Campaign), which concluded with the fall of

2542-484: The opinion of the authorities at the time, this replacement was necessary, since in Querol's work, the hero "seemed drunk." This change produced many critiques by those who considered the old Querol sculpture a beautiful work of art which was arbitrarily withdrawn by a dictatorship and replaced by another of lower quality. One of those critics was the then young journalist Mario Vargas Llosa , who did not hesitate to describe

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2604-400: The port consisted of 1,628 men – 29 chiefs, 223 officers and 1,376 soldiers. The defensive batteries at the cape were divided into three groups: East, North and South. The northern group had several batteries at town level: Santa Rosa (1 Vavasseur cannon with a 5 km range), San José (1 Vavasseur and 1 Pairot also with a 5 km range), and Dos de Mayo (1 Vavasseur). This group of cannons

2666-558: The port. Leaving the most damaged units here, Gen. Baquedano decided to send part of the army under the command of Colonel Pedro Lagos, formed by the "Buin" 1st Line Regiment of Col. Luis José Ortíz, the 3rd Line Regt. led by Col. Ricardo Castro, Sergeant Major Juan José San Martín's 4th Line Regiment, the Bulnes Infantry Battalion, the Carabineros de Yungay Cavalry Regiment and four artillery batteries attached to

2728-497: The remaining Peruvian stronghold in the Tacna Department. The Chilean army, led by Colonel Pedro Lagos , launched a giant assault to Arica, where the 1600 men of the defense fought more than 8000 Chileans, from sea and land, who finally captured the Morro de Arica (English: Cape Arica) after 55 minutes of combat. The defending Peruvian troops under the command of Colonel Francisco Bolognesi died as heroes. In this fight

2790-486: The replacement sculpture as a "grotesque puppet." The first stone of the plaza was laid on July 29, 1902. But the monument, the work of the Spanish artist Agustín Querol , took two years to complete and only in early 1905 did it arrive by ship, in blocks that were assembled under the direction of the worker Enrique Días. By then, President José Pardo y Barreda governed in his first government. The inauguration, initially scheduled for November 4 (the birthday of Bolognesi),

2852-399: The sculpture did not show Bolognesi in a position worthy of a hero. None of the successive governments dared to change the sculpture, until finally it happened during the government of President Manuel A. Odría (whose second vice president was Federico Bolognesi Bolognesi, grandson of the hero of Arica). Peruvian sculptor Artemio Ocaña was commissioned to make the new sculpture. According to

2914-557: The ship to avoid it being captured by Chile. It had was sent for repairs and fitted with two 40 lb Armstrong type guns, with a firing range between 6 and 7 km. The ironclad was put under the command of Captain Manuel Thomson . The Huáscar arrived in Arica on 25 February in order to take the place of the warship "Cochrane" in the port blockade. Later the "Magallanes", led by Captain Carlos Condell arrived to join

2976-400: The war again. From then on, Peru had to fight alone. After reorganizing its troops, the Chilean command decided to take the port of Arica. With the entire allied army in Tacna destroyed, the port was an easy target for the large number of Chilean troops. Since February, the Peruvian garrison had already endured a naval blockade that had stopped supplies from reaching the garrison. This blockade

3038-488: The way to do it. Lagos decided on a frontal assault with only 4,000 infantry, divided into three groups. This attack will not be made trotting, lads. Has to be performed on the run. The enemy must be surprised and forced to surrender before the powerful mines at the Cape explode... The targets were the three main defenses of the city: the East Fort, the Ciudadela (Citadel) Fort and finally the Cape Fort. The Ciudadela Fort

3100-536: Was a Lieutenant Colonel on the General Staff. In 1856, Bolognesi commanded the artillery involved in suppressing the revolt of General Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco , centered in the city of Arequipa , and was promoted to Colonel. After several missions to Europe to help acquire weapons for Peru (especially artillery ), Bolognesi returned to Peru in May 1866. He fell afoul of President Don Mariano Ignacio Prado and

3162-532: Was a Peruvian military colonel. He is considered a national hero in Peru and was declared patron of the Army of Peru by the government of Peru on 2 January 1951. Francisco Bolognesi was born in Lima on 4 November 1816. He attended the Seminary of Arequipa until he was 16 and then entered into a career in commerce. His birthplace, known as the Casa de Bolognesi , later became a museum. His father, Andrés Bolognesi

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3224-411: 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 withdrawal from the war, Peru had to stand alone for the rest of the conflict. The need for a port near to the location of the army, in order to supply and reinforce the troops and evacuate wounded, made the Chilean command put its attention on

3286-464: Was attacked by four Chilean warships of the Navy, the Huascar included. An artillery bombardment between the two armies was exchanged, with the Chilean artillery strikes directed by the 1st and 2nd Artillery regiments. However, an unidentified soldier shouted " ¡Al morro muchachos! " ("To the Cape, boys!"), causing a mass assault. The Chilean officers had nothing to do but to follow their soldiers in

3348-502: Was broken twice for the Peruvian army. On 1 June, Chilean troops led by Cmdnt. Rafael Vargas captured Engineer Teodoro Elmore, from whom they obtained the location of the landmines scattered around the city. 7,500 men were dispatched from Tacna to Arica by train arriving there in the early days of June. In the early morning of 5 June, the Chilean Sergeant Major José de la Cruz Salvo reached the Peruvian lines with

3410-481: Was imprisoned briefly in 1867. After the fall of Prado, Bolognesi returned to military service, commanding various artillery units of the Peruvian army, retiring in 1871 as Commander-in-Chief of the Artillery. When the War of the Pacific began in 1879 between Chile and the alliance of Peru and Bolivia , Bolognesi, now 62, rejoined the Peruvian Army and was active in actions against the Chilean forces, including

3472-409: Was killed in the explosion of a powder keg, that killed Peruvian, as well as ten Chilean soldiers. The Chileans responded by issuing the command to take no prisoners. Bolognesi, Manuel J. La Torre, Alfonso Ugarte , Roque Saenz Pena y Juan Guillermo More gathered 400 Peruvian soldiers a top of the infamous hill known as El Morro. The Chileans stormed el Morro advancing from Cerro Gordo. In the midst of

3534-447: Was led by Medardo Cornejo. The east group had seven Voruz cannons, protected by a sand trench, commanded by Juan Aillón. Finally the southern group, led by Juan Guillermo Moore, had eight cannons (6 Voruz, 1 Pairot and 1 Vavasseur), adding up a total of nineteen cannons. The infantry posted here were the 7th and 8th divisions. The 7th Division had three battalions: Sappers of Tacna, Tacna Artisans and Piérola Rifles. The 8th had two units,

3596-656: Was of Italian-Peruvian background and was a violin player for the court of the Viceroy . Francisco Bolognesi had a son called Federico Pablo whose son was Federico Bolognesi Bolognesi (2nd Vice president of Peru). Federico Bolognesi Bolognesi had a daughter called Ana Maria Bolognesi who had two daughters called Ana Mamie and Selina Raguz Bolognesi. The Bolognesi family legacy lives on through Ana Mamie and Selina, who each have two children: Roberto and Emilia Abusada Raguz, and Elio and Benjamin Yagüe Raguz. Roberto and Emilia are

3658-500: Was postponed to November 6, amid the protests of the citizens who had gathered in the avenues leading to the square. The ceremony was attended by one of the survivors of the defense of Arica, the Argentinian Roque Sáenz Peña , General of the Peruvian army who, for the military parade, received the command of the line. President José Pardo presided over the ceremony, which unveiled the statue of Bolognesi, amid

3720-562: Was scuttled to prevent her capture by the Chilean military. The torpedo boat Alianza scape of Arica trying to reach Mollendo , but was pursued by the ironclad Cochrane and the gunned transport Loa that fired at them, until at noon and at the height of the Sama hill, the Cochrane returned to Arica, but the Loa continuing the pursuit alone. In Punta Picata, Tacna , the boat was stranded due to

3782-510: Was sent to Mollendo, in order to interrupt communications between this port with Arequipa, where 4,000 Peruvian soldiers were posted. On the 22nd, and with General Manuel Baquedano as the new Commander in Chief of the Army of Northern Operations, the Chileans obtained the victory at Los Ángeles Hill. After this battle, the Chilean forces marched to the Sama river valley. From this rendezvous point,

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3844-601: Was to be taken by the 3rd Line Regiment with the "Buin" 1st Line Regiment in reserve. The East fort would be attacked by the 4th Line Regiment. Col. Lagos was initially reluctant to attack Arica directly fearing excessive bloodshed; thus he asked for the surrender of his opponent, Francisco Bolognesi, an Italo-Peruvian veteran brought out of retirement when the war broke out. Lagos' pleas fell on deaf ears when Bolognesi replied that he would fulfill his duties until he had fired his last shot. Subsequently, both sides prepared for battle. The Peruvian force had little choice but to wait for

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