39 Facts About Mariano Melgarejo

Manuel Mariano Melgarejo Valencia 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.

On January 15,1871, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army at the time, General Agustin 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.

Once ousted from power, Mariano Melgarejo fled Bolivia for Chile, where he stayed for a few months.

Consequently, Mariano 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, Jose Aurelio Sanchez.

Mariano Melgarejo was born on April 13,1820, in the town of Tarata, current department of Cochabamba, Bolivia; then belonging to the territory of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

Mariano Melgarejo was the son of mestiza Ignacia Melgarejo and the Spaniard Jose Linares.

Mariano Melgarejo grew up with his mother and spent his childhood in a humble home in the small town of Tarata; his house still remains today.

Mariano Melgarejo was married to Rosa Rojas, the member of a middle-class family.

Mariano Melgarejo was constantly disloyal to his wife, who is often excluded from history and rarely mentioned.

Mariano Melgarejo began his military career in the city of Cochabamba at a very young age.

Mariano Melgarejo entered the army at the age of 16, joining in 1836 with the rank of private.

Mariano Melgarejo was present in many different battles during the War of the Confederation, during which the government of Andres de Santa Cruz.

In 1841, at the age of 21, Mariano Melgarejo participated in the battle of Ingavi, a clash between Bolivia and Peru while he was a sergeant under the command of Jose Ballivian Segurola.

Unlike other soldiers of his time, Mariano Melgarejo was characterized for being poorly educated, but always willful.

In 1854, Mariano Melgarejo appears for the first time on the public and political scene of Bolivia.

When Mariano Melgarejo was awaiting his execution by firing squad, some ladies from the high society of Cochabamba met in person with President Belzu at the Palacio Quemado to plead for the life of the prisoner.

Paradoxically, among the various ladies who asked for Mariano Melgarejo's life was the mother of the prestigious Bolivian poet and politician Nestor Galindo, who eleven years later in 1865, would be cruelly shot fighting in the Battle of the Canteria de Potosi against the Mariano Melgarejo government.

Linares rose to the presidency of Bolivia and, thankful for Mariano Melgarejo's support, promoted Mariano Melgarejo to the rank of colonel in 1859.

Mariano Melgarejo crushed countless uprisings and rebellions on behalf of President Acha, who in return gave him his friendship and total trust, promoting Melgarejo to the rank of army general in 1862.

In December 1864, taking advantage of the delicate health of President Acha, Mariano Melgarejo revolted against him, and, together with his troops, carried out a coup against the government.

Mariano Melgarejo rose to the Presidency of Bolivia on December 28,1864, at the age of forty-four.

New investigations have come up with the theory that since Mariano Melgarejo's revolver failed, then the bullet that killed Belzu came from the revolver of some soldier who was behind him.

Regardless of what happened that fateful day, Belzu was killed and Mariano Melgarejo had eliminated a huge threat to his government.

Generals Ildefonso Sanjines and Nicanor Flores had been competing for leadership, resulting in the forestalling of rebel operations and allowing Mariano Melgarejo to exploit this weakness.

Mariano Melgarejo then ordered the violent eviction of the communities to grant the lands to allied landowners, an aggression that had not even been carried out during Spanish rule.

Mariano Melgarejo had come to Melgarejo to ask for clemency for the life of her brother Aurelio Sanchez, who had been sentenced to death.

Madly in love with the young woman, Mariano Melgarejo gave her and her family great influence in the government, which the Sanchez family took advantage of, enriching themselves at the expense of the treasury.

Mariano Melgarejo's government turned out to be increasingly erratic and unstable.

In 1866, Mariano Melgarejo signed a border treaty with Chile, establishing the common border but recognizing all Chilean commercial interests in the exploitation of saltpeter on the Bolivian coast of Antofagasta.

In 1868, Mariano Melgarejo promulgated a new constitution, granting himself omnimodal powers over public administration and attributing to his position the power to "persecute and kill opponents".

Mariano Melgarejo expressed solidarity with Paraguay, giving his full support to this nation.

In July 1870, when Prussia invaded France, starting the Franco-Prussian War, Mariano Melgarejo asked one of his high-ranking generals to immediately send Bolivian troops to help the French army defend Paris.

Alarmed, Mariano Melgarejo attacked Potosi and crushed the revolt through a series of massacres and cruelties, but soon he learned that, taking advantage of his absence, La Paz, Cochabamba, and other major cities had joined in a general uprising.

Mariano Melgarejo was abandoned to his fate and, lacking troops and allies, had to flee to Chile.

Almost in misery, Mariano Melgarejo learned in Chile that Juana Sanchez and her family had fled to Lima with part of their wealth.

Mariano Melgarejo worked on behalf of a new mining elite in Bolivia, during a period of resurgent silver production and investment from Chile, Peru, North America, England and European capitalists.

Mariano Melgarejo was said to have given an immense amount of land to Brazil in exchange for what he described as a "magnificent white horse".

Mariano Melgarejo was a true soldier, ignorant of civil law and appreciative only of physical force.

Mariano Melgarejo was a man with a single indisputable virtue, his courage; Passionate about the arts and the beautiful facts of life, a devout Catholic, he could both laugh out loud when he saw the fire of a town, and cry when a child cries.