Andrés de Santa Cruz Calahumana , was born in La Paz on December 5, 1792. Son of Huamanguino José de Santa Cruz y Villavicencio -colonel of royal militias and governor of Mojos and Chiquitos- and Juana Basilia Calahumana y Salazar, cacica of Huarina. He studied at the San Francisco schools in his native land and San Buenaventura del Cuzco. He was incorporated by his father into the "Dragones de Apolobamba" regiment, as a lieutenant, and fought in Guaqui (July 20, 1811) under the orders of Brigadier José Manuel de Goyeneche, achieving his promotion to lieutenant. With General Joaquín de la Pezuela he intervened in Vilcapuquio and Ayohuma in the last months of 1813, and was promoted to captain. In 1815 Andrés de Santa Cruz participated in the suppression of the uprising of Brigadier Mateo García Pumacahua and, with General José de La Serna, he was in the offensive led to Tucumán. Defeated in Tarija (April 1817), he was taken prisoner but managed to escape and, once in Lima, Pezuela named him military commander of Chorrillos. In December 1820 his forces were defeated at the Battle of Pasco by the patriots led by General Juan Antonio Álvarez de Arenales . He was arrested and taken to the headquarters that San Martín had established in Huaura, where he decided to join the patriot forces (January 8, 1821). With the rank of colonel, he went on to exercise the provincial government of Piura where he organized two battalions, the Paya and the Trujillo, to reinforce the patriot positions in the vicinity of Cuenca, and contributed to deciding the victory obtained in the battle of Pichincha (May 24, 1822).
The following month, Simón Bolívar declared Andrés de Santa Cruz “benemeritus in an eminent degree”, awarded him the Quito Liberators medal and promoted him to brigadier general. When the failure of the first intermediate expedition became known, he led a pronouncement (February 26, 1823) that imposed on Congress the appointment of Colonel José Mariano de la Riva-Agüero as President of the Republic. At the command of the second intermediate expedition he fought the battles of Zepita, Sicasica and Ayo, with disparate results that culminated in the disastrous dispersion of his army on the day of Desaguadero (September 22, 1823). Bolívar appointed him commander of the infantry and chief of staff of the Peruvian division that fought in Junín (August 6, 1824) and, later, as prefect of Ayacucho, he kept communications operational in the definitive campaign for independence. In April 1825 Andrés de Santa Cruz was honored with the title of grand marshal and was assigned the prefecture of Chuquisaca . The following year, Bolívar entrusted him with the presidency of the government council, handing over the command to José de la Mar.
Bolivia and Andres de Santa Cruz
He was serving as minister plenipotentiary in Santiago de Chile when he was elected president of Bolivia (January 31, 1829). With the authorization of the Peruvian government, he was sworn in four months later, initiating a stage of development of public finances and promotion of education, turning Bolivia after a few years into a country that aroused general admiration. At the request of General Luis José de Orbegoso, he went to Peru to put down the Salaverry uprising, whom he defeated in Socabaya (February 7, 1836) and had him shot.
The assembly of the southern departments (Cuzco, Arequipa, Ayacucho and Puno), meeting in Sicuani, appointed Andrés de Santa Cruz supreme protector of the Southern Peruvian State in March 1836, and a few months later the assembly of the southern departments did the same. north. On August 16, 1836 Andrés de Santa Cruz took possession of the supreme command in Lima and the Congress of Tacna appointed him supreme protector of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, made up of three states. During his administration, he reorganized the administration of justice, created the Legion of Honor, in imitation of the French, and put into effect the civil, criminal, and procedural codes, inspired by Napoleon, that were already in force in Bolivia. He encouraged the cultivation of wheat and sugar cane, as well as the export of sheep's wool and cotton. He notoriously increased the exploitation of gold, silver, copper, quicksilver and saltpeter mining, and issued trade regulations. The fiscal box paid its creditors, the deficit of the national budget disappeared, the fiscal ticket rose to double its price. Among the most beneficial measures was the establishment of direct steam navigation from Peru to Europe. This prosperity was interrupted by the restoration campaigns, organized from Chile, and which culminated in the defeat of Santa Cruz in Yungay (January 20, 1839). He was forced to resign and go into exile. He spent time in Guayaquil and Quito, but after a failed return attempt he was confined in Chillán, until he was ordered to leave American territory. He settled in France, where he served as Minister Plenipotentiary of Bolivia until his death on September 25, 1865 .