HISTORICAL AND ARMOURY MUSEUM

This museum, located in the famous Morro fortress, is mainly dedicated to the Morro itself and the events that took place there during the Pacific War. During the war, this Peruvian fortress defended the city. In the bay of Arica, in May 1880, the Chilean warships were already surrounding the city, but the Peruvian commander Bolognesi still refused to surrender. Chilean troops arrived from Tacna, the city they had occupied, through the Azapa Valley on June 6. At dawn on June 7, they attacked and succeeded in taking two of the four towers of the Morro fortress. The remaining Peruvians took refuge in the other two, the Morro Gordo fort and the Morro Bajo base, but the Chileans pursued them in spite of the mines that littered the terrain. Within an hour, they managed to raise the Chilean flag on the fortress. This was one of the bloodiest episodes of this murderous war, in which nearly 1,250 Peruvians and 170 Chileans, including the commanders of both sides, died. The museum presents many souvenirs of this war: weapons, uniforms, etc. Most of the uniforms in the showcases are those of the French army, which made a psychological study before opting for blue and red (colors on which blood does not show) in order to keep the morale of the troops. This is one of the reasons why Chile bought the uniforms from the French army.