Guillermo Cervantes

Guillermo Cervantes Vásquez (died after 1922) was a Peruvian captain and leader of the Peruvian army. He formed the group of Veterans of Caquetá that fought in the 1911 Battle of La Pedrera against Colombia, but is better remembered for his insurrection in 1921 where he proclaimed the Third Federal State of Loreto, one of many attempts to transform Peru into a federal state.

Biography Born in Peru, he entered the Peruvian Army, where he met future president Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro, with whom he participated against an insurrection in Puno in 1915. As the handing of the Amazon Trapeze to Colombia became apparent, he became frustrated and adamantly opposed it.

Insurrection The Leguía administration was unaware of the discontent of the people in Loreto, who were dissatisfied with the treaty to be signed with Colombia, and was thus beginning to have small conflicts both with the Colombian authorities and with the authorities of the Regional Government of Loreto. This time, as an infantry captain, Cervantes took command of the "Cazadores del Oriente" regiment stationed in Iquitos, declaring himself in absentia on August 5, 1921, and issuing a Manifesto signed by 19 junior officers and 7 Loretan citizens:

What began as a movement of patriotic protest against the government's incapable policy led to the founding and establishment of a Federal Amazonian State, with its own government, army and currency but without ignoring itself as part of Peru.

Disappearance By early 1922 the situation was unfavorable to the revolutionaries, and on January 13, Iquitos, the proclaimed capital, had been captured by Peruvian troops. A few days earlier, on January 9, Cervantes had escaped, intending to reach Ecuador. The revolution would be quickly ended around the same time, and the region enjoyed some stability until a war in 1932, and another insurrection in 1956.