Resumen

The following article addresses, from a review of the local press, the repercussions of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami of August 13, 1868 on the public opinion of the province of Tarapacá. The article describes how a series of political, social, and economic problems that existed before the earthquake resulted in the idea that  behind the impact of a natural hazard there was, strictly speaking, another type of disaster that was much broader and profound, referring to the condition of structural vulnerability linked not only to the complex situation that Perú was experiencing in those years because of a deep tax and financial crisis, but also the weak presence of the State in the southernmost province of the country. This situation mainly affected the port of Iquique as a result of its accelerated and uncontrolled urban growth driven by the expansion of saltpeter mining.