THE JOSE DE SAN MARTIN MONUMENT DONATED BY LORENZO PEREZ ROCA: ITS INVISIBILIZATION AND REJECTION DURING THE POSTWAR PACIFIC PERIOD (LMA 1903-1926)

Abstract

The first monument to José de San Martín, hero of the Peruvian independence, was erected in Lima in 1906. It was donated by Lima businessman Lorenzo Pérez Roca, who, at the beginning of the 20^th century was administrator of a nitrate factory in Tarapaca, a rich Peruvian region ceded to Chile after the War of the Pacific (1879-1883). This article argues that the combination of the post-war context, the advent of the 100th anniversary of independence and decisions of the leaders of the time resulted in the monument going unnoticed by Lima’s press, not being officially inaugurated by the State, and finally being moved and broken up in the 1920s.

Keywords
Lima; monument; Jose de San Martin; Lorenzo Perez Roca; postwar Pacific