The War Of The Pacific
By the late nineteenth century Peru's foreign debt, particularly to England, had grown enormously. Even though interest could be paid in guano, there simply wasn't enough. To make matters considerably worse, Peru went to war with Chile in 1879. Lasting over four years, this " War of the Pacific " was basically a battle for the rich nitrate deposits located in Bolivian territory. Peru had pressured its ally Bolivia into imposing an export tax on nitrates mined by the Chilean-British corporation. Chile's answer was to occupy the area and declare war on Peru and Bolivia. Victorious on land and at sea, Chilean forces had occupied Lima by the beginning of 1881 and the Peruvian president had fled to Europe. By 1883 Peru "lay helpless under the boots of its conquerors", and only a diplomatic rescue seemed possible. The Treaty of Anco , possibly Peru's greatest national humiliation, brought the war to a close in October 1883. Peru was forced to accept the cloistering of an independent Bolivia high up in the Andes, with no land link to the Pacific, and the even harder loss of the nitrate fields to Chile. The country seemed in ruins: the guano virtually exhausted and the nitrates lost to Chile, the nation's coffers were empty and a new generation of caudillos prepared to resume the power struggle all over again.
Tour Peru and Machu Picchu On Line-Video, StillsDavid Mundstock says "My film "The Inca Lost and Found" can be seen on the web if you have a high speed internet connection. The video features Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley of the Incas, Cuzco, Inca interviews, the search for Andean musicians, Lima, the Nazca Lines, and other parts of Peru.
This is a free, non-commercial, streaming video on the Windows Media Player. No ads and no strings attached. I sell absolutely nothing.
My gallery of still photos from Peru can be viewed with any modem.
There are over 30 of my other amateur travel videos on-line including trips to China, Russia, Antarctica, Italy, the UK, Australia, Bali, Africa, Greece, and Turkey; see lions, whales, elephants, or penguins.
The planet is yours, including my Home Page giant galaxy of still pictures.
To watch a video or view the stills, please ask a search engine for: Intrepid Berkeley Explorer
"
Your Tip for Peru
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Peru - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Peru - visit the main Peru forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Peru webguide section below! Thanks.
|
