Reincorporation of Tarata

After the Battle of Alto de la Alianza on May 26, 1880, Chilean troops proceeded to occupy the city of Tacna that same day. Tarata, although farther from the site of the battle, was also occupied.

The Treaty of Ancón in 1883 This Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed on October 20, 1883, and ended the War of the Pacific between Peru and Chile. Through this treaty, it was agreed that Peru would cede the province of Tarapacá to Chile, and would also leave the provinces of Tacna and Arica under Chilean administration for 10 years. After the decade had elapsed, a plebiscite would be held so that the residents could determine their definitive sovereignty. The occupation lasted almost half a century, and the plebiscite was an empty promise. According to General Lassiter, a plebiscite to determine the sovereignty of Tacna-Arica could not be held due to Chile's coercion of Peruvian voters.

Tarata's first return in 1925 After 45 years of captivity, on September 1st, Tarata was returned to Peru. This event was a cause for great celebration and pride for Peruvians. A year earlier, on March 4, 1925, U.S. President Galvin Goldridge issued the Arbitral Award ordering the Chilean government to return the territory of the province of Tarata to Peru.

Tarata's second comeback: Along with Tacna, the Tacna-Arica dispute was finally resolved on June 3, 1929, after a plebiscite, with the signing of the Treaty of Lima. This established the border between Peru and Chile. Tacna (the department) would finally return to Peru, while Arica would remain under Chilean sovereignty. Although Tarata had returned to Peru in 1925, it was only on August 28, 1929, that Tacna was finally reintegrated into Peruvian territory.

THE FLAG OF PERU IN TARATA

On July 28, 1925, it was announced that a group of women residing in Lima would present the first flag, which would soon fly in Tarata, following the fulfillment of part of the arbitration award issued by U.S. President Calvin Coolidge. This announcement prompted the formation of a patriotic fund for women to cover the costs of making and transporting the flag to Tarata.

THE FLAG PROCESSION IN TARATA

Every September 1st, starting at 6:00 a.m., a 21-gun salute awakens the Andean town of Tarata. The entire population prepares to celebrate this historic date with great civic pride: their reintegration into Peruvian territory. Forty-five years of invasion were not enough to make them renounce their Peruvian identity. The Chileans used countless tricks to continue usurping lands that did not belong to them, but they never imagined the greatness of this town that I WILL NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP MY HOMELAND AND MY RED AND WHITE FLAG!!!