Eduardo Abaroa

Colonel Eduardo Abaroa Hidalgo (October 13, 1838, San Pedro de Atacama – March 23, 1879) was Bolivia's foremost hero of the War of the Pacific (1879–1883), which pitted Chile against Bolivia and Peru. He was one of the leaders of the civilian resistance to the Chilean invasion at the Battle of Topáter.

Abaroa was an engineer by trade, working in a silver mine located in the coastal region of Litoral, which Chile took from Bolivia during the War of the Pacific. During the Battle of Topáter (23 March 1879), the first armed clash of the war, Colonel Abaroa was part of a badly outnumbered Bolivian force defending a bridge that crossed the Topáter River and gave access to the city of Calama, an important desert oasis on the road to Bolivia. Refusing to surrender, after the outnumbered Bolivian military forces withdrew, he fought to his last breath, a feat that later transformed him into a revered national hero.

When, injured and surrounded, he was asked to surrender by the Chilean forces, he provided an answer that has gone into Bolivian folklore: "¿Rendirme yo? ¡Que se rinda su abuela, carajo!" ("Surrender? Your grandmother [is who] should surrender, you bastard!", or "Surrender, me? Let your grandmother surrender, dammit!", or, more literally, "Surrender, me? That your grandmother surrender herself, fuck!"), equivalent to saying "Surrender? Surrender my ass!". According to Chilean folklore he answered: "¿Quién, Yo?" ("Who, me?")

Eduardo Abaroa Province

Eduardo Abaroa, also Eduardo Avaroa, or Challapata is a province in the southeastern parts of the Bolivian department of Oruro. Its seat is Challapata. The province was named after Colonel Eduardo Abaroa, Bolivia's hero of the War of the Pacific.

Location

Eduardo Abaroa province is one of sixteen provinces in the Oruro Department. It is located between 18° 39' and 19° 30' South and between 65° 42' and 66° 42' West.

The province borders Poopó Province in the northwest, Sud Carangas Province and Ladislao Cabrera Province in the west, and Potosí Department in the south and east. Furthermore, Sebastián Pagador Province is embedded between the two municipios of Eduardo Abaroa province.

The province extends over 90 km from north to south, and 100 km from east to west.

Geography

The province lies at Poopó Lake, one of the largest lakes of Bolivia.

One of the highest peaks of the province is Jatun Wila Qullu. Other mountains are listed below: