Dámaso Bilbao la Vieja

He was born in the city of La Paz on December 11, 1789. He was the legitimate son of the Spanish colonel, Don Antonio Bilbao la Vieja de Rojas and Doña Francisca Alquiza Foronda. The noble title of 'La Vieja' was obtained from the Spanish crown; however, he never used it because he sympathized with republicanism.^[5][6] His father was known to be one of the wealthiest men in Upper Peru, owning haciendas, mills, mines, and several buildings in the cities of La Paz, Sucre, Potosí, and Cochabamba. By 1830, Bilbao la Vieja was estimated to have been worth well over 3,000,000 pesos, making him one of the richest people in the Americas.^[6]

On July 16, 1808, he enlisted as a cadet in the militias of the Spanish army. A year later, on the same day, July 16, he assisted the patriots in taking the barracks and proclaimed the independence of the Americas.^[7] The next day, he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. He participated in the Combat of Chacaltaya, unfortunate for the patriots, and the victorious General José Manuel de Goyeneche exiled him to Córdoba for four years.^[1]

There, he served under the Argentine General Juan Martín de Puyrredón, who promoted him to the rank of captain in 1811. He was part of the three Argentine expeditions in Upper Peru and took part in all the battles and combats that occurred from 1811 to 1817: Huaqui, Las Piedras, Tucumán, Salta, Suipacha, Vilcapugio, Ayuma, Sipesipe. At Sipesipe, he showed great courage and valiant behavior. On May 25, 1813, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel by the government of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. He served in the Argentine army for thirteen years, and in 1825, when the war of independence ended, he returned to his homeland with General José María Pérez de Urdininea.^[8][9]

In Bolivia, he held multiple and important positions, both military and administrative, excelling in all of them with true diligence and competence. He earned the most honorable recommendations from all his superiors. First as the chief Intendant of La Paz, then as the Governor of the province of Yungas, later as the head of the National Guard, and finally, as the commander-in-chief, Bilbao La Vieja dedicated his career to the army.^[10]

In 1826, he was elected deputy to the constituent congress convened in Chuquisaca. In 1829, he was appointed aide-de-camp to President Andrés de Santa Cruz, and alongside him participated in the campaigns of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, taking part in the Battles of Yanacocha, Ninabamba, Socabaya, Paucarpata, and Yungay. After the defeat in Yungay on January 20, 1839, he was taken prisoner and transported to Cuzco, where he remained until July of the following year when, having obtained his freedom, he returned to his homeland.^[11]

During the government of General José Miguel de Velasco, he was the Prefect of La Paz, a member of the war council, and the head of the national guard. In September 1841, the people of La Paz appointed him commander-in-chief of the garrison of that city, following the political change that proclaimed his nephew, General José Ballivián, as president of the republic. Ballivián appointed him chief aide-de-camp of the General Staff, and in this capacity, he participated in the 40-day campaign against Peru and fought in the Battle of Ingavi on November 18, 1841. For his part, Bilbao La Vieja was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. He received the commemorative medal for this battle and was declared a hero of the country.^[10][12]

He participated in the 1842 campaign in Peru as the commander-in-chief of a division. In the same year and the following ones, he successively held the position of Prefect in the departments of Chuquisaca (succeeding General Gregorio Fernández), Potosí, and Oruro; a member of the national council, commander-in-chief of the infantry brigade, and other important positions in various departments of the republic. In 1855, he was instrumental defeating the uprising of General Gregorio Pérez, securing the presidency of Jorge Córdova.^[13]