From Ancón to The Hague: the transcendence of the Chilean-Peruvian treaties in the territorial configuration of the South Pacific
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22320/rte.vi52.6981Keywords:
War of the Pacific, Treaty of Ancón, Treaty of Lima, Chilean-Peruvian relations, Hague rulingAbstract
The study examines how Chilean-Peruvian treaties have perpetuated territorial disputes for 131 years (1883-2014), proving that diplomatic agreements, far from definitively resolving disputes, generate new configurations of conflict over time.
The research analyzes three key historical moments: the Treaty of Ancón (1883), which established “deliberate ambiguities”—particularly the “special protocol” never elaborated for the plebiscite of Tacna and Arica; the Treaty of Lima (1929), which divided these territories but omitted maritime delimitation; and the Hague ruling (2014)
The results reveal that Chile has maintained a coherent institutional diplomatic memory and consistent interpretative positions, while Peru has shown more frequent adaptations associated with internal political changes.
The analysis demonstrates that the inaccuracies in the treaties were not accidental but rather conscious strategies to preserve interpretative flexibility. Paradoxically, each “resolution” of disputes has generated new ambiguities: the war ended in 1883, but interpretative disputes persisted until 2014, revealing patterns of historical significance in diplomatic instruments.
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