Mariano Melgarejo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 15th President of Bolivia | |
| In office 28 December 1864 – 15 January 1871 Provisional: 28 December 1864 – 15 August 1870 | |
| Preceded by | José María de Achá |
| Succeeded by | Agustín Morales |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Manuel Mariano Melgarejo Valencia 13 April 1820 Tarata, United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, Spanish Empire (now in Bolivia) |
| Died | 23 November 1871 (aged 51) Lima, Peru |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Spouse | Rosa Rojas |
| Domestic partner | Juana Sánchez |
| Children | Federico Melgarejo Rojas Severo Melgarejo Rojas Valentina Melgarejo |
| Parent(s) | Ignacio Valencia Lorenza Melgarejo |
| Awards | Order of the Southern Cross |
| Signature | .svg) |
| Nickname(s) | Capitán del Siglo (Captain of the Century), Héroe de Diciembre (December Hero) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Bolivia |
| Branch/service | Bolivian Army |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | War of the Confederation Peruvian-Bolivian War |
Manuel Mariano Melgarejo Valencia (13 April 1820 – 23 November 1871)[1] 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.[2][3]
He assumed power in 1864 after staging a coup d'état against president José María de Achá, thus beginning six-year dictatorship, popularly known as the Sexenio. He would cement his power after personally killing former president Manuel Isidoro Belzu in 1865.[4] He was of controversial personality and his dictatorship is remembered in Bolivia mainly for its poor government administration and its abuses against the indigenous population, in addition to having signed unfavorable border treaties with Chile and Brazil in 1866 and 1867, which proved to be devastating in coming years.[5][6]
On January 15, 1871, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army at the time, General Agustín Morales, along with the support of the people of La Paz, tired of the president's despotic actions for almost seven years, rose up against Melgarejo and deposed him. With the people having risen against Melgarejo, a bloody battle ensued in the city of La Paz which has been considered one of the fiercest and most terrible battles in Bolivian history.[7] At the end of that day, the uprising triumphed over government troops, thus managing ending the Melgarejo regime.[8][9]
Once ousted from power, Melgarejo fled Bolivia for Chile, where he stayed for a few months. While in Santiago de Chile, he learned that Juana Sánchez, his lover, was living in the city of Lima, Peru. Consequently, Melgarejo decided to leave for that country, but, once he arrived in Lima, he was shot to death on November 23, 1871, by Juana's brother, José Aurelio Sánchez.[10]
- ^ O'Connor d'Arlach, Tomas (1913). El general Melgarejo. Bolivia: Gonzales y Medina. p. 8.
- ^ "Biografia de Mariano Melgarejo". www.biografiasyvidas.com. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "RED ESCUELA.: Mariano Melgarejo Valencia". www.redescuela.org. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ Scheina, Robert L. (31 January 2003). Latin America's Wars. Potomac Books, Inc. ISBN 978-1-59797-477-6.
- ^ "Invocando el espíritu de Mariano Melgarejo". Los Tiempos (in Spanish). 14 September 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "El Tratado de 1866: primer tratado de límites entre Bolivia y Chile". plumainquieta.lamula.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ Alcázar, Moisés (1980). Drama y comedia en el Congreso (in Spanish). Librería Editorial "Juventud,".
- ^ "LA ALIANZA ENTRE AGUSTÍN MORALES Y LAS MASAS INDÍGENAS PARA DERROCAR A MARIANO MELGAREJO | Historias de Bolivia". LA ALIANZA ENTRE AGUSTÍN MORALES Y LAS MASAS INDÍGENAS PARA DERROCAR A MARIANO MELGAREJO | Historias de Bolivia. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ Mariano Melgarejo: el capitán del siglo (in Spanish). Infinito Proyectos Editoriales. 2016.
- ^ "Muertes trágicas de presidentes de Bolivia". El Potosí (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 September 2022.