Culture Project 4: The Battle of Angamos

It has been a while since I have done a culture project so decided I would do one now on the Battle of Angamos.

The 8^th October is a national holiday in Peru and is because of the Battle of Angamos. I wanted to find out more about this day, so thought would do my fourth culture project on this day.

So what is the Battle of Angamos? Well it was a naval battle which was fought on 8th October 1879 during the War of the Pacific - with the two opponents being the Chilean Navy and the Peruvian Navy.  And despite the battle being won by Chile, Peru still remember it each year as 8th October is a national holiday in Peru.  Am not sure why they celebrate a battle they lost, but then I come from a country where they celebrate a ship that sank.

Well it’s not really a day of celebration as much as a day of honouring someone special - Miguel Grau Seminario who was killed during the battle and is held as one of Peru's heroes from the War of the Pacific or as it is known here the Guerra del Pacifico. 

Why is this guy so special? Well his military accomplishments as well as his distinguished and courageous disposition earned him the title of Knight of the Seas (“Caballero de los mares”).  He was also named the Peruvian of the Millennium at the end of the 20th Century which to me is quite an achievement as there have been a lot of Peruvians born during that Century so many to chose from.

Miguel Grau was in charge of ‘Huascar’ one of the ships in the Peruvian fleet of 1879. It was known as the best ship of the fleet, having sunk the Chilean battleship ‘Esmeralda’ in another battle, the bale of Iquique. The ‘Huascar’ had excellent speed and enabled Grua to to cruise along the coast creating havoc in enemy lands, but despite this the ship was captured during the battle by Chilean ship ‘El Almirante Cochrane’ which shot cannons towards the ‘Huascar’ killing Miguel Grau. The capture of this ship was the final step in clearing the Peruvian seas and allowed the Chileans to invade Peru by land.

So now I know why the 8^th October is a national holiday, it is a holiday to remember the battle with admiration and honour Grand Admiral Miguel Grua. And now you know, so if you ever get asked this question in a quiz you will be able to wow everyone with the answer. 

Admiral Miguel Grua