As Spain left the new world in 
1842, three of the nations left 
in its wake - Peru, Chile, and 
Bolivia, did not agree on their
post-colonial borders.  In 
1873, two of these nations, 
Peru and Bolivia, signed a 
mutual defense treaty in case 
of Chilean attacks.  In 1879, 
such an attack occured, 
beginning the Great Pacific 
War.

The border disputes between the
nations centered on the deserts
on the Pacific coast.  Each 
nation claimed portions of the 
desert, seeking to control the 
nitrates and their mining 
rights.  The Pacific War was 
touched off by Bolivia siezing 
a Chilean nitrate company; in 
response, Chile declared war. 

In 1879, Bolivia was not a land-
locked country, as it is today.
It had a small corridor to the 
Pacific through the port city 
of Arica, sandwiched between 
Peru and Chile.  It was here 
that the Chilean Navy began 
their blockade of Bolivia - by 
the middle of 1880, they were 
set to invade the coastal city.

On June 5th, Chile sent a flag 
of truce to Arica asking for 
unconditional surrender.  The 
Peruvian army stationed at the 
Bolivian port (by agreement of 
the Mutual Defense treaty) 
refused.  The battle began the 
following day, with the 
Peruvian army, under the 
command of Colonel Bolognesi, 
repelling the Chilean forces.

The following day, Chile 
attacked again, under the 
command of Colonel Lagos.  
This time, the heavily 
outnumbered Peruvians lost the 
battle.  

The war ended in 1885, with 
Chile gaining significant 
tracts of Bolivian and Peruvian
territory along the Pacific 
Ocean.  As a result of the war,
Bolivia became and remains a 
landlocked nation.