Viceroyalty of Peru Guayaquil and El Callao, but on 4 February he captured Valdivia, called at the time "The Key of the South Seas" and the "Gibraltar of the Pacific", due to its huge fortifications. However the viceroyalty managed to defend Chiloé Island until 1826. On September 8, 1820, the "Expedición Libertadora" of Peru, organized mainly by Argentinians and with some Peruvian and Chilean involvement, landed on the beach at Paracas Bay, near the city of Pisco, Peru. The army was under the command of José de San Martín. After fruitless negotiations with the viceroy, San Martín occupied the Peruvian capital of Lima
Ilo, Peru Ilo, Peru Ilo is a port city in southern Peru, with some 67,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest city in the Moquegua Region and capital of the Ilo Province. Before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century, the area was populated by the people of the Chiribaya culture. The Conquistadores were given land grants by Charles V and brought olives to this area. Olive agriculture was the main crop and source of work until the early 20th century. A small settlement, Pacocha, was established by the seashore where the Osmore River (Rio Osmore) flows into the Pacific