Mariano Ignacio Prado Ochoa , President of the Republic between 1865-1868 and 1876-1879. He is the son of Ignacio Prado and Francisca Ochoa Tafur. He was born on December 18, 1826 and died on May 5, 1901 .
Orphaned from a very young age, however, he was able to attend schools in his town (1837-1845) and begin his studies in the San Carlos Convictory in Lima. His education was interrupted by the death of his brother and he had to return to Huánuco to be head of the family and administrator of his agricultural businesses. He later sold the family lands (1853) and began his public life in Lima.
Start of his military career
Incorporated into the National Guard he was promoted to captain and led the opposition to the government of José Rufino Echenique . Banished to Chile (1854) he managed to land in Arica and joined the liberal revolution commanded by Ramón Castilla; he was in the battle of Izcuchaca and shortly thereafter was promoted to sergeant major and lieutenant colonel. He participated in the final defeat of Echenique in La Palma (January 1855) and during the new Castilian regime he was a member of the National Convention representing Huánuco.
Once again incorporated into the army, he assumed command of the “Lanceros de la Unión” regiment, with which he began a campaign against the rebellion of Manuel Ignacio de Vivanco, who from Arequipa had opposed the government of Castile (1857).
After pacifying the southern provinces he was named prefect of Tacna (1858) and Arequipa (1859). When the conflict with Ecuador broke out, he resumed command of the "Lancers of the Union" and was at the triumphal entry into Guayaquil (December 1859). He was appointed prefect of Tacna for the second time (1853) and shortly after he moved to Arequipa to start the revolution against the government of Juan Antonio Pezet who had signed the Vivanco-Pareja treaty (1865).
Inaugurated his dictatorship, he formed a quadruple alliance with Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia, and declared war on Spain (January 1866), whose squadron was defeated in the battles of Abtao and Callao (May 2, 1866). After the conflict, Mariano Ignacio Prado convened a constituent congress that sanctioned a new liberal constitution (1967) and proclaimed him President of the Republic, putting an end to the dictatorship. However, rebellions soon broke out in Arequipa and Chiclayo, and Mariano Ignacio Prado had to resign, moving to Chile (1868). Upon his return he was promoted to brigadier general (1872) and appointed president of the Founders of Independence Society and Winners of May 2, 1866 (1873-1875) . In 1874 he is elected deputy for Callao, coming to preside over his chamber. Commissioned to Europe by the government of Manuel Pardo to settle the foreign debt, he managed to reopen credit for Peru.
Second presidency of Mariano Ignacio Prado
Surrounded by great popularity, he was supported by the Civil Party and won the presidency of the Republic for the second time (1876). The economic crisis was now too acute, the country was practically bankrupt and to counteract the situation the government taxed the mines, imposed contributions on individuals and tried to negotiate, without success, a new credit with the Dreyfus house. The situation continued to worsen:saltpeter and guano were not being sold, agricultural and mining production was on the way to decline. As if this were not enough, the tensions between Chile and Bolivia led Peru to engage in the conflict.
His government tried to mediate with the sending of the plenipotentiary José Antonio de Lavalle but, using the existence of a secret treaty with Bolivia as a pretext, Chile declared war on Peru on April 5, 1879. Mariano Ignacio Prado immediately organized the naval campaign and the Tarapacá campaign. Given the course of the war, Mariano Ignacio Prado expressed to the Council of Ministers the need to travel abroad to more quickly acquire the ships and weapons that Peru needed to continue the conflict; his unexpected trip caused first bewilderment and then indignation. The army did not recognize Vice President Luis La Puerta and gave the command to Nicolás de Piérola, who began to govern with the title of dictator.
A respectable historian like Sir Clemens Markham has written:“General Prado saw the inevitable disasters that were imminent and conceived the hope of avoiding them by obtaining help in money or material or intervention, from Europe or the United States. There is no reason to suppose that he was driven by less worthy motives. But nothing can excuse this sudden defection from his post." In his absence, Mariano Ignacio Prado was accused of being a traitor, deprived of his citizen rights and removed from the military ranks (1880). Although this provision was repealed in 1886, Prado stayed away from any public activity, accepting only to hold the presidency of the Society of Founders of Independence and Winners of May 2, 1866 on two occasions (1890-1891 and 1896-1897). .
Delicate health, he had to travel to Europe and he died in Paris in 1901 . He married Magdalena Ugarteche and their children were Mariano, Javier, Jorge, Manuel and María. With María Avelina Gutiérrez he had Leoncio, the future hero of Huamachuco.