The British presence in South America and Peru increased significantly during the Independence wars. In early nineteenth century, the liberators Jose de San Martín and Simon Bolivar organized and led military forces in order to free the northern portion of South America from Spanish rule. They also recruited an important number of English combatants, such as the naval official Martin Guise, the general William Miller and the captain Thomas Cochrane. After several battles, Spaniard rulers were defeated.Theoretically, independence served to establish a fair political and economic order, but in fact it caused a situation of generalized anarchy. The appearance of military leaders called “caudillos” and the regional antagonisms lead the region to disorder and chaos.
In regard to Peru, Independence left as balance a destroyed economy and the fortification of military “caudillos”, who under any pretext claimed political power and caused several armed conflicts.
Nevertheless, this situation did not stop the commercial and financial influence that began to exert England over the country, which maintained its colonial characteristics and customs despite the independence.
During the decade of 1830, there was a significant increase of English immigrants in South America due to the development of a commercial area, which extended from Panama to the Cape Horn including part of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile.
This vast zone was well-known by the British as "the West Coast" and its main ports were Callao and Valparaiso. Due to the importance of this marine circuit, the famous Pacific Steam Navigation Company (PSNC) was founded in 1839. The following year, the PSNC brought from England to South America its two first ships called “Peru” and “Chile”. Both ships were steam of trowels and traveled from Liverpool, via the Strait of Magellan.
Initially, they were limited to sail along "the West Coast", but shortly after the company extended its fleet and its routes to Europe making more frecuent the marine transit. As a result, the PSNC began to find problems to make repairs and to supply themselves with coal. This situation lead to the construction, in 1843, of a deposit and a repair place in the port of Callao for the exclusive use of the company.
This allowed the arrival of an important number of English mechanics and engineers, who added to the retailers, craftsmen, employees and ex- combatants of Independence who already resided in the country.
Photo: Registry of the presence of Simon Bolivar in London in 1810.
