José Balta y Montero, born on April 25, 1814, in Lima, was a Peruvian military officer and politician who served as the president of Peru from 1868 to 1872. His presidency is primarily associated with ambitious infrastructure projects, particularly large-scale railway construction, aimed at modernizing the country's economy. However, his government ended in tragedy, as Balta was overthrown in a coup d'état in 1872 and subsequently assassinated.
Coming from an influential family, José Balta received military training and rose through the ranks of the Peruvian army. He played an important role in several internal conflicts and became a respected military figure. In 1868, he was elected president of Peru, taking charge of a country seeking economic modernization after years of political instability.
During his presidency, Balta undertook economic reforms aimed at modernizing the country's infrastructure. One of his most ambitious projects was the construction of railroads connecting Peru's coastal regions to the Andean highlands. He enlisted the help of American engineer Henry Meiggs to oversee these projects. Although these railway works were seen as significant advancements for the country's economic integration, they also led to a substantial increase in Peru's external debt, which weighed heavily on the economy in the long term.
Balta's government was marked by relative political stability, but toward the end of his term, internal political tensions began to surface. In 1872, as Balta neared the end of his presidency, he was overthrown in a military coup led by Colonel Tomás Gutiérrez, who sought to seize power. Shortly after the coup, Balta was imprisoned and then assassinated by Gutiérrez's supporters, an event that shocked the Peruvian nation.
José Balta's death marked the end of a period characterized by great hopes for modernization but also by ongoing political instability. His legacy is seen through the lens of his ambition to modernize the country, although his infrastructure projects also contributed to worsening Peru's economic crisis.