Peru was heavily indebted, and political in-fighting was again on the rise. Peru embarked on a railroad-building program that helped but also bankrupted the country. In 1879, Peru entered the War of the Pacific which lasted until 1884. Bolivia invoked its alliance with Peru against Chile. The Peruvian Government tried to mediate the dispute by sending a diplomatic team to negotiate with the Chilean government, but the committee concluded that war was inevitable. Chile declared war on 5 April 1879. Almost five years of war ended with the loss of the department of Tarapacá and the provinces of Tacna and Arica,
Miss Peru Frieda Holler, Miss Peru 1965, Carmen Amelia Ampuero, Miss Peru 1972, Mónica Chacón, Miss Peru Mundo 1996, Viviana Rivasplata, Miss Peru 2001, Marina Mora, Miss Peru Mundo 2002, have had success in the business category and occasionally participate in various television shows. Like Gladys Zender and Madeline Hartog-Bel Houghton, María Julia Mantilla also became a well-known and popular figure in her country. Maju began working for Ford models agency in London, and then debuted as a businesswoman and a television presenter . She was the host of the variety TV show, "Al Aire" in America Televisión which ended in 2016