| Department of Puno Departamento de Puno | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department ofSouth Peru | |||||||||
| 1836–1839 | |||||||||
 Coat of arms | |||||||||
 Puno within South Peru | |||||||||
| Capital | Puno | ||||||||
| Historical era | Confederation | ||||||||
• Established | 1836 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1839 | ||||||||
| Contained within | |||||||||
| • Constituent country | South Peru | ||||||||
| |||||||||
TheDepartment of Puno (Spanish:Departamento de Puno) was adepartment ofSouth Peru, a constituent country of thePeru–Bolivian Confederation, which existed from 1836 to 1839. Created alongside the confederate state, its capital wasPuno.
Puno sent deputies to theSicuani Assembly of March 1836,[1] where the Constitution of theSouthern Peruvian State was drafted under the guidance of the then rebel politicianNicolás Fernández de Piérola y Flores [es] in the midst of thePeruvian civil war since 1835.[1] The constitution proclaimed the state of South Peru and the alliance with theBolivian occupation forces for the creation of thePeru-Bolivian Confederation.[2]
With Piérola's victory, theFundamental Law of 1837 inTacna, with approval of the self-proclaimed supreme protectorAndrés de Santa Cruz, recognized Puno as a founding department of the Confederation.[2] The General Government of the Confederation minimized the territorial dispute between the then Peruvian Republic and Bolivia.[1]
Puno was subject to the General Government, which minimised its territorial disputes. Its governor was appointed by the president of the State, and this in turn was appointed by the supreme protector on duty.[2] The governor was obliged to elect representatives of his department to participate in the assemblies of Sicuani, which were ordered by the president of the South Peruvian State.[2]
