Quintín Quevedo

Quintín Quevedo Ferrari (31 October 1825 – 24 August 1876) was a Bolivian military officer who rose to prominence after aiding Mariano Melgarejo in the overthrow of President José María de Achá in 1864. He was also a famous and early explorer of the Bolivian Amazon, exploring the Madeira River and the Beni savannah frontier. In 1872 he launched an invasion from Valparaíso, Chile, resulting in an international crisis which is believed to have led to a secret alliance treaty between Peru and Bolivia against Chile. Said alliance became effective with the Chilean occupation of Antofagasta and the Bolivian Litoral Department, leading to the War of the Pacific.

After the overthrow of Melgarejo, Quevedo would relentlessly conspire against the governments of Agustín Morales, Adolfo Ballivián, and Tomás Frías. He was only finally defeated when the elderly Frías himself led his pacifying army to victory at the Battle of Chacoma, where Quevedo was soundly defeated. However, much like Quevedo's earlier expedition to Cobija, his rebellion in 1875 greatly affected Bolivian politics, as only a few months later revolts broke out throughout the country, even resulting in the burning of the Government Palace that same year. The fractured and weak state of the country and its government allowed for Hilarión Daza's coup in 1876 to easily succeed. Without a doubt, Quevedo played a crucial role in Bolivian history, affecting so much of the nation's destiny in a period of only four years.