Mariano Melgarejo
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]
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Melgarejo and the second or maternal family name is Valencia.
Mariano Melgarejo
13 April 1820
Tarata, United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (now Bolivia)
23 November 1871 (aged 51)
Lima, Peru
Rosa Rojas
Juana Sánchez
Federico Melgarejo Rojas
Severo Melgarejo Rojas
Valentina Melgarejo
Ignacio Valencia
Lorenza Melgarejo
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Capitán del Siglo (Captain of the Century), Héroe de Diciembre (December Hero)
Bolivia
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]
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Early life[edit]
He 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. He was the son of mestiza Ignacia Melgarejo and the Spaniard José Linares.[11] When he was born, his father did not recognize him as his legitimate son and abandoned him.[12][13] For this reason, Melgarejo had to take the surname of his mother, who raised him during his childhood. 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.[2][14][15][16]
Personal life[edit]
Melgarejo was married to Rosa Rojas, the member of a middle-class family. Together, they two sons: Federico (1840-1872) and Severo (1842-1905). His younger son was married to Rosaura Sánchez, the sister of Juana and Aurelio Sánchez.[17] Melgarejo was constantly disloyal to his wife, who is often excluded from history and rarely mentioned.
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