Mariano Felipe Paz Soldán (August 22, 1821 - December 31, 1886), Peruvian historian and geographer, was born at Arequipa

Arequipa

Arequipa is the capital city of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 836,859 it is the second most populous city of the country...

, Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

.

Education and early career

He studied law and, after holding some minor judicial offices, was minister to New Granada in 1853. After his return, he occupied himself with plans for the establishment of a model penitentiary at Lima

Lima

Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...

, which he was enabled to accomplish through the support of General Ramon Castilla

Ramón Castilla

Ramón Castilla y Marquesado was a Peruvian caudillo and President of Peru four times. His earliest prominent appearance in Peruvian history began with his participation in a commanding role of the army of the Libertadores that helped Peru become an independent nation...

. In 1860, Castilla made him director of public works, in which capacity he superintended the erection of the Lima statue of Simón Bolívar

Simón Bolívar

Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...

. He was also concerned in the reform of the currency by the withdrawal of the debased Bolivian coins.

Great atlas

In 1861, he published his great atlas of the republic of Peru, and, in 1868, the first volume of his history of Peru after the acquisition of her independence. A second volume followed, and a third, bringing the history down to 1839, was published after his death by his son.

Geographical Dictionary of Peru

In 1870, he was minister of justice and worship under President José Balta

José Balta

José Balta y Montero was a Peruvian soldier and politician who was president of Peru from 1868 to 1872. He was the son of John Balta Bru and Agustina Montero Casafranca....

, but shortly afterwards retired from public life to devote himself to his great geographical dictionary of Peru, which was published in 1877. During the disastrous war with Chile, he sought refuge in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...

 where he was made professor in the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires

Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires

Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires is a public high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the tradition of the European gymnasium it provides a free education that includes classical languages such as Latin and Greek. The school is one of the most prestigious in Argentina...

and where he wrote and published a history of the war (1884). He died on December 31, 1886.