ALFONSO UGARTE

Alfonso Ugarte

Alfonso Ugarte was born in the city of Iquique in the province of Tarapacá, on July 13, 1847, son of wealthy family merchants, because of the early physical absence of his father. His parents were Narciso Ugarte and Rosa Vernal Carpio. He studied in his hometown and in Valparaíso, where he graduated from counter. In 1876 he returned to Iquique; He worked managing saltpeter their family businesses, and became mayor of the city in the public sector.

At the beginning of the war of the Pacific, Ugarte, who was soon to travel to Europe to get married with his cousin Timotea Vernal, decided to stay in his hometown and organize a battalion with their own money, battalion that would be made by workers and craftsmen of Iquique. This battalion was appointed as the battalion "Iquique N ° 1", consisting of 429 soldiers and 36 officers.

He participated in the battle of Tarapacá where, after fleeing the Chilean Cavalry with the fire of the Iquique, was shot in the head but continued fighting. After the victory he fell back along with the Peruvian army and the population of Tarapaca to Arica. This army was placed at the disposal of the army of the South, who commanded the general de División EP Juan Buendía; in these conditions he made the March from Tarapaca to Arica.

In Arica took part in two joints Guerra made by Colonel Bolognesi EP where took the agreement to defend the square "until burning the last round".

He died fighting in the battle of Arica. The story says that it was launched on horseback from the top of the nose so that Chilean troops take to the national flag. It is said that his body did not arrive to be recovered because of the conflict, despite the generous reward offered his family surviving, resident in the city of Lima by this finding. 

However, trying to elucidate this last issue, Geraldo Arosamena succeeded in 1979 - in his capacity as President of the center of studies look of the Peru - authorization of opening the so-called tomb of Alfonso Ugarte finding, indeed, remains wrapped in a Peruvian flag.

Suffice it to say that body identified in 1890 as the Colonel Alfonso Ugarte and that was brought to Lima and deposited later in the family mausoleum she had built for his mother, he was taken not long ago to the crypt of the Heroes of the war of the 79 in the Presbitero Maestro cemetery, and there rests, on the third level, inside a sarcophagus.

However, the official part of the battle he wrote the fighter Colonel Roque Sáenz Peña, also mentions Alfonso Ugarte as one of the fallen beside the coronel Bolognesi in the nose.