In the 1860s, animal guano—or bird poop—was a hot commodity. It was the most popular export of Peru, and nearly 60% of the country’s economy depended on it. The seabird and bat guano came primarily from the Chincha Islands, a group of islands near Peru, and Luis Hernandez Pinzon, a Spanish admiral, became angry at the success they were having with this export. Pinzon sent in hundreds of marines to take control of the Chincha Islands, which included arresting the governor at the time and appointing his own governor. Nearby South American countries feared that this was just the beginning of Spain’s mission to reclaim all of its former colonies, so they banded together to fight against Spain.
The war lasted two years, with Pinzon blocking all ports in Peru, governments being torn apart, and the economies of several countries being completely destroyed. Chile declared war on Spain in September of 1865, after a Spanish ship sailed into a port in Chile in order to replenish their supplies. They banded together with their neighbor, Peru, and had an early victory against Spain—despite Spain’s power—when they captured and imprisoned an entire ship crew. Bolivia and Ecuador joined the war soon after. The Spanish destroyed the majority of Peru’s fleet, and it took the country years to recover. Finally, the Spanish admiral considered the circumstances and decided the war was no longer worth it. They quietly retreated, and it took twenty years before reconnecting with the countries involved. All of this—a war and destruction— for some bird and bat droppings.