15 CIVIL AND MILITARY HEROES OF PERU - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The civil and military heroes of Peru were personalities who stood out for having accomplished great feats in Peruvian history. Over time, they have been praised and admired for their accomplishments.

Many of these heroes came to sacrifice their lives fighting for the Independence of Peru. These Peruvian heroes and martyrs have left their mark on subsequent generations by being an example of bravery and courage.

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Peruvian heroes played a fundamental role in shaping the history of the Peruvian nation. Their desires for justice and freedom led them to make radical and altruistic decisions for the social welfare of Peru.

Civil and military heroes in the history of Peru

Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray

Andrés Avelino Cáceres Dorregaray was a prominent Peruvian military and politician, considered a national hero for having fought in the Pacific War against Chile. He was constitutional president of the country on three occasions.

While some historians claim that he was born on February 4, 1833, most maintain that it was on November 10, 1836 in Ayacucho, Peru. In addition, he managed to have a great influence on the indigenous population of his country.

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During his last years, he remained in the political feat until his death on October 10, 1923.

Miguel Grau Seminary

Miguel Grau Seminario is a Peruvian military man known as “the knight of the seas”. He obtained this title after having saved several of his enemies fallen at sea during battles.

He was born in Piura on July 27, 1834 and is considered one of the greatest heroes in the history of Peru. He fought against Chile during the 19th century war.

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Throughout his life, he excelled in the military, being one of the most influential leaders of the armed forces. He died on October 8, 1879, during the Angamos battle in the Pacific War.

Francisco Bolognesi Cervantes

Francisco Bolognesi Cervantes was born on November 4, 1816 in Lima. He is known for being one of the main heroes of the war against Chile and remembered for his heroic participation in the Battle of Arica, in which he died on June 7, 1880.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

Bolognesi has gone down in history as an example of bravery and a warrior spirit. Despite having had fewer soldiers than his enemies, his courage led him to encourage his soldiers until the moment of his death.

Jose Abelardo Quiñones

José Abelardo Quiñones was a prominent war aviator known for his participation in one of the main Peruvian battles against Ecuador. He was declared a national hero for having sacrificed himself in an air mission, on July 23, 1941.

Gallery of the Ministry of Defense of Peru, via Wikimedia Commons

He was born in Chiclayo on April 22, 1914 and graduated as a fighter pilot. He was known as an excellent skydiver. Every July 23, Peru's Air Force Day is commemorated as a tribute to their feat. In addition, his image appears on the 10 Soles bill.

Pedro Ruiz Gallo

Pedro Ruiz Gallo was a military man, musician, and inventor, known for being one of the forerunners of modern Peruvian aeronautics. In addition, he is considered the patron of the Peruvian Army's weapon.

In 1879, after the loss of the naval combat of Angamos in the war against Chile, Ruiz Gallo began to direct his efforts to the manufacture of torpedoes to achieve the following victories.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

His death took place on April 24, 1880, when one of the torpedoes he was manufacturing exploded during one of his experiments.

Luis José Orbegoso and Moncada Galindo

Luis José Orbegoso y Moncada Galindo was a Peruvian soldier and politician, born on August 25, 1795 in Huamachuco. He was known for having fought for the Independence of his country. After fighting in the war against Greater Colombia, he took the position of constitutional president from 1833 to 1836.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

Throughout his political career, he lived through deep social division and a long civil war against the military Pablo Bermúdez and Felipe Santiago Salaverry.

When he served as president of the North Peruvian State, he tried to expel the Chileans and Ecuadorians; unsuccessfully, he retired from political life.

Carlos Augusto Ramírez Salaverry

Carlos Augusto Ramírez Salaverry was a prominent Peruvian military, politician and poet, born on December 4, 1830. He is considered one of the exponents of 19th century romanticism for his poems and dramatic scripts.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

In addition, he participated against the Spanish fleet in the Spanish-South American War and acted as a diplomat in the United States and in some European countries. Upon his return, he participated in the Pacific War against Chile. He died on April 9, 1891 after suffering from paralysis.

Tupac Amaru II

Túpac Amaru II was born on March 19, 1738 in Cuzco, Peru, under the name of José Gabriel Condorcanqui. He was a renowned Peruvian Indian and revolutionary who fought against Spanish rule in American lands.

The Peruvian Indian led the Great Rebellion, an uprising against the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata and the Viceroyalty of Peru (belonging to the Spanish Crown). In addition, he fought for the freedom of the indigenous people and to put an end to their exploitation.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

The Peruvian leader was intercepted and captured along with his family. He was dismembered and beheaded in 1781.

Jose Olaya Balandra

José Olaya Balandra was a fisherman who offered himself as a secret emissary for the independence struggle against the Spanish forces. He is one of the most emblematic martyrs of the Peruvian pro-independence struggle.

Olaya volunteered to send secret messages between the Callao government and the Peruvian forces in Lima. Despite being discovered, the martyr refused to reveal the information of the patriots.

Jose Gil de Castro

After his last capture, he was shot in the Plaza Mayor in Lima. Currently, the square bears the name of Pasaje Olaya in his honor.

Hipólito Unanue

Hipólito Unanue has been known as one of the most outstanding personalities of the Peruvian Independence. He was a doctor, professor, and politician, listed as the reformer of Peruvian medicine and founder of the San Fernando medical school.

In addition, he stood out as a member of the Society of Lovers of the Country, whose intention was to address intellectual issues of the Enlightenment. He collaborated with the management of the last viceroys of Peru and later with the liberators Simón Bolívar and José de Martín.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

Throughout his life, he developed an admirable political career, which he kept active until his last days. He died on July 15, 1833.

Maria Parado de Bellido

María Parado de Bellido was a Peruvian heroine of indigenous race who fought for the Independence of Peru. She was noted for her bravery and heroism in sacrificing her life for the freedom of her country.

At the end of 1820, he joined the guerrillas for the independence struggle with his family. Parado de Bellido began to send reports of the Spanish movements to her husband, Mariano Bellido, who served as the guerrilla leader of the patriot forces.

Source: es.wikipedia.org

She was captured and shot by the Spanish military forces on March 27, 1822, after refusing to reveal information about the local resistance.

Micaela Bastidas

Micaela Bastidas was known for being one of the heroines who participated in the Spanish emancipation as a precursor of Spanish American Independence. She was the wife of Túpac Amaru II, the leader of the Great Rebellion against the Spanish.

Bastidas was an example of courage that defended the ideals of freedom and justice until the day of his death. Like her husband, she worked to reduce the mistreatment of indigenous people. In addition, she led several rebel attacks.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

When one of the uprisings failed, she was arrested, tortured, and killed on the same day as her husband and son, May 18, 1791.

Mariano melgar

Mariano Melgar was born on August 11, 1790 in Arequipa, when he was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru. He was a Peruvian poet who participated in the struggle for the Independence of his country. In addition, he was one of the representatives of literary romanticism in America.

Melgar is popular for having created the musical genre "yaraví", a fusion between the Inca genre "harawi" and the poetry of the Spanish troubadours of medieval times. Yaraví was a popular genre that spread throughout Peru in viceregal times.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

The poet joined one of the army groups as a war auditor, in favor of Peruvian Independence. However, he was taken prisoner in one of the battles and shot at 24 years of age.

Daniel Alcides Carrion

Daniel Alcides Carrión was recognized for being a martyr of Peruvian medicine; He was voluntarily transferred to a hospital to be injected with blood contaminated with Oroya fever, to study his symptoms and find a cure.

After studying the results of the disease for a few days, he was unable to continue recording the symptoms himself. For this reason, he commissioned a group of friends to continue writing about the evolution of the disease.

Source: es.m.wikipedia.org

On October 4, 1885, he fell into a coma until his death. Thanks to his efforts, the cause of the fever that struck a large part of America was discovered. Currently the fever is known as "Carrión's disease".

Juan Pablo Vizcardo and Guzmán

Juan Pablo Vizcardo y Guzmán was a Peruvian writer who was a precursor of Spanish American Independence. He was known for writing the famous work entitled Letter to the American Spanish.

Source: es.wikipedia.org

The document urged Hispanic Americans to definitively gain independence from the Spanish Crown. In the work, he presented a series of arguments that justified the reason for the Independence.

References

1. Who was Miguel Grau Seminario ?, editors of La República, (2012). Taken from larepublica.pe
2. Francisco Bolognesi, Biographies and Lives Portal, (nd). Taken from biografiasyvidas.com
3. Pedro Ruiz Gallo, Spanish Wikipedia, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
4. The Grand Marshal Luis José Orbegoso. His life and his work, Portal El Viejo Villejas, (nd). Taken from Librosperu.com
5. Biography Carlos Augusto Salaverry Summary, Language and Literature Website, (nd). Taken from apreándnguayliteratura.blogspot.com
6. Túpac Amaru II, Portal Euston, (nd). Taken from euston96.com
7. José Olaya: Everything you need to know about the Peruvian martyr who was shot on June 29, 1823, Peru 21, (2017). Taken from peru21.pe
8. Biography of Hipólito Unanue - Who was, Portal Who.net, (nd). Taken from who.net
9. Micaela Bastidas, History of Peru Website, (nd). Taken from historiaperuana.pe
10. María Parado de Bellido, Website Adonde.com, (nd). Taken from adonde.com
11. Mariano Melgar, Portal Busca Biography, (nd). Taken from Buscabiografias.com
12. Daniel Alcides Carrión, the 'martyr of Peruvian medicine', Portal Notimérica, (2018). Taken from notimerica.com
13. Heroes of Peru, Dayson Rojas, (nd). Taken from darilr.blogspot.com