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Mariano Felipe Paz Soldan

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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MARIANO FELIPE PAZ SOLDAN (1821-1886), Peruvian historian and geographer, was born at Arequipa, on the 22nd of August 1821. He studied law, and after holding some minor judicial offices, was minister to New Granada in 1853. After his return he occupied himself with plans for the establishment of a model penitentiary at Lima, which he was enabled to accomplish through the support of General Castilla. In 1860 Castilla made him director of public works, in which capacity he superintended the erection of the Lima statue of Bolivar. He was also concerned in the reform of the currency by the withdrawal of the debased Bolivian coins. In 1861 he published his great atlas of the republic of Peru, and in 1868 the first volume of his history of Peru after the acquisition of her independence. A second volume followed, and a third, bringing the history down to 1839, was published after his death by his son. In 1870 he was minister of justice and worship under President Balta, but shortly afterwards retired from public life to devote himself to his great geographical dictionary of Peru, which was published in 1877. During the disastrous war with Chile he sought refuge at Buenos Aires, where he was made professor in the National College, and where he wrote and published a history of the war (1884). He died on the 31st of December 1886.