José Velásquez Bórquez

José Velásquez Bórquez was born on 27 December 1833 and entered the Military Academy as a cadet in April 1853, graduating the following January as a second lieutenant of artillery. Promoted lieutenant in 1859, lieutenant colonel in 1872 and colonel in 1874, he served in the pacification of Araucanía at Mulchén, Angol and Lebu and commanded civic battalions in the south.

At the outbreak of the War of the Pacific he commanded the 2nd Artillery Regiment at Antofagasta during the bombardment of the port, fought at Dolores, Tacna and Arica and, as commanding general of artillery, at San Juan and Miraflores, before being made commanding general of arms of Tacna and Arica. Promoted brigadier general, he sat as deputy for Quillota from 1888 to 1891 and served as Minister of War and Navy under President José Manuel Balmaceda, whose government he supported in the civil war of 1891. He died on 17 July 1897.

How the name is written

Chilean Velásquez, with s.

Sources

Facts in this profile are drawn from the Wikipedia article(s) linked below, consulted on 21 September 2026; the text is original. Wikipedia (English) · Wikipedia (Spanish)

More people named Velasquez — History & exploration

Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar — Conquistador and first governor of Cuba, who chartered the expeditions that reached the Aztec Empire.
Juan Velázquez Tlacotzin — Cihuacoatl of Tenochtitlan and its first indigenous ruler after the conquest.
Loreta Janeta Velázquez — Author of The Woman in Battle (1876), who claimed to have fought and spied in the Civil War disguised as a Confederate officer.
Juan Velázquez de León — Conquistador with Cortés in Mexico, kinsman of the governor of Cuba, killed on La Noche Triste.
José Velásquez — Soldier-explorer of the Californias who scouted the mission sites of El Rosario, Santo Domingo and San Vicente.

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