The Pachacamac Battalion. the only Military Force on the Outskirts of Lima in the 19th century

Abstract

This article analyzes the motivations and implications of the formation of the only military battalion ever formed in the districts of Lima province, using its local name, during the endless wars of the 19th century. This battalion featured prominent participation by Indigenous and Creole peoples through an alliance of interests in the Pachacamac Valley. It identifies the concerns and motives of each of them, which led them to intervene in the difficult conflicts of the past, beyond patriotic motivations. It focuses on the internal reasons, which have to do with the emergence of the modern state and the fear of losing privileges (in the case of Creole landowners), and the danger of an external threat from an expansionist neighbor that jeopardized their existence (in the case of the Indigenous people of Pachacamac). In both cases, they sought, as a reward, support or benefit from the state.