WikiPeru • The Encyclopedia of Peru
The AIgorythm project
Playwright and actor
Novelist
Writer and poet
Volleyball player
Italian-Peruvian naturalist and geographer
Singer and percussionist
Last Inca emperor
Politician, former prime Minister
Journalist and TV host
Poet
Inca warrior
Actor and comedian
Biophysicist
Poet
Doctor and researcher
Businessman, Interbank group
Journalist and writer
Poet and writer
Singer and songwriter
Writer
Film director, Berlin Golden Bear winner
Football player
Writer and journalist
Doctor and scientist
Photograph
Chess player
Industrialist
Former general
Specialist in public health
Actress and singer
Afro-Peruvian music singer
Mathematician and engineer
Indigenous chronicler
Neurologist and anthropologist
Painter
Football player
National hero, military leader
Intellectual and reformer
Chef and entrepreneur
Fashion designer
Singer-songwriter
TV presenter
Marathon runner
Indigenous Peruvian chronicler
Theologian
Former national team captain
Economist and former health minister
Inca princess
Writer and television host
Folk musician
Poet and guerrilla
Former UN secretary-general
Chef, known for fusion cuisine
Football player
Peruvian aviation pioneer
Poet and artist
Marxist philosopher and writer
Industrialist and businessman
Novelist and ethnologist
Painter and muralist
Opera tenor
Fashion designer
Cardinal of Lima
Peruvian tennis player
Football coach
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Military hero
Latin singer
War of the Pacific hero
The youngest mother in history
Politician
Creole music singer
Tennis player
Musician
Writer and politician
Politician and founder of the Christian Democratic Party
Founder of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae
Archaeologist and anthropologist
Military leader and politician
Television host
Actress and singer
Contemporary sculptor
Women’s rights activist
Beauty queen
Astrophysicist
Heroine of independence
Mathematician and archaeologist
Historian and anthropologist
Military figure and historical figure
Fashion photographer
Writer, Nobel Prize in Literature, Politician
Revolutionary leader
Environmental activist
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Musician from Gaia band
War hero
Military leader and politician
Chef, known for Nikkei cuisine
Volleyball coach and former player
Environmental activist
Television personality
Writer
Football player
Epidemiologist and former health Minister
Inventor and aerospace pioneer
Soldier and inventor
Rock singer
Chef and co-owner of Central restaurant
Painter
Football player
TV presenter and actress
Actor
Writer and historian
Journalist and lawyer
Archaeologist, founder of Caral site
Monk and Saint
Saint, patron of Latin America
Physicist and engineer
World champion surfer
Actress
Oncologist
Singer, Latin Grammy winner
Former mayor of Lima
Singer
Actress
Former football player
Painter
Former football player
Painter
Inca leader
Archbishop, saint
Leader of the indigenous rebellion
Revolutionary indigenous leader
Diplomat and intellectual
Sculptor and painter
Political leader, founder of APRA
Lawyer and Former prime minister
Chef of Central restaurant
Former head of secret services
Popular singer
Fashion designer
Exotic music singer
Miguel Iglesias Pino de Arce was born on June 11, 1830, in Cajamarca, Peru, into a family of landowners. He was a Peruvian politician and military leader who played a crucial role during one of the darkest periods in Peru’s history: the War of the Pacific. Iglesias is best remembered for assuming the presidency at a critical moment when the country was devastated by the conflict with Chile. His role in the signing of the Treaty of Ancón and his stance during the Chilean occupation remain topics of controversy that marked his political life and legacy.
Miguel Iglesias grew up in a wealthy family in Cajamarca, which allowed him to receive a good education and develop in an environment where politics and agriculture were essential aspects of life. At a young age, Iglesias became interested in a military career, following the path of many young men of his time who saw the army as an opportunity to serve the nation and distinguish themselves in public life.
During his youth, Iglesias participated in several military campaigns in Peru, establishing himself as a competent and courageous officer. Throughout his military career, he held several important positions within the army, which allowed him to gain experience and earn the trust of his superiors. This military prestige was a key factor in his rise to political prominence during the turbulent times of the War of the Pacific.
The War of the Pacific, which pitted Peru and Bolivia against Chile from 1879 to 1884, was one of the most devastating conflicts in South American history. Chile, with a better-prepared and armed army, managed to invade southern Peru, occupying important cities such as Lima. During this period of uncertainty and chaos, Miguel Iglesias emerged as a key figure in Peruvian leadership.
In 1882, Iglesias, then a prominent military and political leader in northern Peru, was proclaimed Supreme Chief of the Republic by an assembly of notables in Cajamarca. This appointment occurred when the country was divided, with the legitimate government of President Francisco García Calderón operating under extremely difficult conditions during the Chilean occupation. Seeing the country’s dire situation and convinced that continuing the war would only bring more destruction and suffering, Iglesias opted to negotiate peace with Chile, a decision that earned him both support and opposition.
In 1883, Miguel Iglesias was elected provisional president of Peru during the Chilean occupation. His government, based in the north of the country, was recognized by Chile and other foreign nations, although many Peruvians still regarded García Calderón as the legitimate president. Iglesias’s primary task was to negotiate peace with Chile, which resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Ancón in October 1883. This treaty officially ended the war, but at a high cost: Peru had to cede the province of Tarapacá to Chile and accept the temporary occupation of Tacna and Arica, territories that would remain under Chilean control until a plebiscite was held (which never took place).
The Treaty of Ancón was highly controversial. Many Peruvians saw Iglesias as a traitor for accepting the harsh terms imposed by Chile, while others regarded him as a pragmatic patriot who did what was necessary to save Peru from further destruction. Regardless, the treaty marked the end of the military phase of the War of the Pacific and allowed the country to begin the arduous process of reconstruction.
Although Iglesias managed to end the war, his government was extremely unpopular among many sectors of Peruvian society. General Andrés Avelino Cáceres, another war hero, led an insurrection against Iglesias's government, resulting in a civil war in 1884. Cáceres and his followers, known as the "Caceristas," believed that Iglesias had sold out the country by accepting the terms of the Treaty of Ancón and fought to restore a government that better represented the interests of the Peruvian people.
The civil war ended with Iglesias's defeat in 1885, and he was forced to resign and retire from public life. Andrés Avelino Cáceres took over the presidency, and Miguel Iglesias withdrew to his estate in Cajamarca. Although he had attempted to rebuild the country after the devastation of the war, his legacy was tarnished by the controversies surrounding his presidency and his decision to sign peace with Chile.
After his resignation, Miguel Iglesias stayed away from Peruvian politics. He spent his final years on his estate in northern Peru, focusing on agriculture and his family. While he remained a controversial figure, many of his contemporaries acknowledged that Iglesias had acted during a time of extreme difficulty and had done what he believed was necessary to save Peru from further destruction.
Iglesias died on November 7, 1909, in Lima, at the age of 79. Despite the controversies that marked his political career, his role in Peruvian history is undeniable. He was a man who, in a moment of great crisis, took on the responsibility of leading the country and making difficult decisions in the name of peace.
Miguel Iglesias's legacy remains a subject of debate among Peruvian historians. To some, he was a pragmatic leader who did what was necessary to end a devastating war and save what remained of Peru. To others, he was a man who gave away too much and accepted a treaty that weakened the country and left it vulnerable to its enemies. What is clear is that Iglesias led the country during one of its most difficult moments and made decisions that, while unpopular, were critical for the nation’s future.
Miguel Iglesias was a man shaped by war, politics, and difficult decisions. His life and presidency were closely tied to one of the darkest chapters in Peru's history, and his role in the signing of the Treaty of Ancón remains a subject of controversy. Despite the challenges he faced, Iglesias left an indelible mark on Peruvian history, and his legacy continues to be debated by those seeking to understand the complexities of his time.