Manuel Terrazas
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Manuel Terrazas | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Occupation | Military officer |
| Years active | 1861–1883 |
Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Terrazas was a Bolivian military officer who served during the War of the Pacific.[1] He was the cousin of Mariano Ricardo Terrazas, a famous Bolivian writer and educator.[2]
He did not grow up in the family's hacienda in Quillacollo. Instead, he was raised in Tarata. He would attend the classes of one Father Ignacio Tapia at the local church in Tarata, where he became an acquaintance of Severo Melgarejo Rojas, the son of Mariano Melgarejo.[3]
Unlike his cousins, who belonged to a wealthier side of the family, Terrazas did not enjoy the privilege of being sent to Paris. Instead, he remained in his family's hacienda in Tarata. His name is registered at an inn in San Juan, Argentina, suggesting he might have traveled for business across the Argentine interior and perhaps even Peru.
Rise and fall of Melgarejo
In 1861, José María de Achá, with the help of Mariano Melgarejo, ousted the government of President José María Linares. The bloody revolution led to Melgarejo's promotion to the rank of general. Now wealthy and powerful, Melgarejo invited his son to join the Military College of La Paz and become a military officer. Terrazas joined Severo Melgarejo and traveled to La Paz with him, enlisting there in July 1862.[4] By 1864, the country found itself engulfed in the flames of civil war, leading to Achá's overthrow. In the barracks of the city of Tupiza, Terrazas supported the regime of Melgarejo.[5] Because of his relationship with Melgarejo's son and his support, he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant.[6]
Now a lieutenant, he was given a favourable posting in Tarata, his hometown. He was promised a promotion by Melgarejo, but this plan was disrupted by the Constitutionalist Rebellion of 1866. Led by Casto Arguedas, Nicanor Flores, and Ildefonso Sanjines, the rebellion nearly ousted Melgarejo. In Tarata, Terrazas defeated a small contingent of forces led by Colonel Ernesto Benavides.[7] Despite his continued loyalty for Melgarejo, the caudillo deemed Terrazas a traitor and ordered his execution. In a twist of irony, Terrazas fled the country with the man he had defeated earlier, Colonel Benavides.[8]
Terrazas spent a few years in exile until 1870, when he joined a movement spearheaded by Tomás Frías to overthrow the tyrannical rule of Melgarejo.[9] He headed to Tarata, where he enlisted a few hundred men to assault the barracks at Cochabamba. Successful, the rebels took the city and marched toward La Paz. By January 1871, Melgarejo was forced to flee the country.[10]