Summary

The present article shows the social, economic, and political evolution of the city of Iquique during the period of the Peruvian administration, from its origin as a small village of native fishermen to the beginning of the blockade by the Chilean Navy in 1879, by which time it had become one of the most important and cosmopolitan ports on the West Coast of South America. Through the study of the governors’ management, the author propounds the spectacular development of the city is due to the local governors’ intercession and the individual interests of its inhabitants, as well as the geopolitical circumstances brought upon by the saltpeter mining.