Villamontes

Villamontes is a town in the Tarija Department in south-eastern Bolivia. Also it is called the benemerita town due to its importance during the Chaco War in the 1930s.LocationVillamontes is the administrative center of Villamontes Municipio and situated at 388 m above sea level, on the left bank of Río Pilcomayo where the river crosses the Sierra del Aguarague mountain range and flows southeast into the Chaco-Foreland.GeographyVillamontes is located in the subhumid tropical zone, with a distinct dry season from June to September.West of the town in a north-southerly direction ranges the sub Andean Sierra del Aguarague, with a summit of 1,390 m 7 km west of Villamontes.The town is crossed by Río Caiguami which discharges into Río Pilcomayo on the southern outskirts of Villamontes.HistoryDuring the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay (1932–1935) Villamontes accommodated the headquarters of the Bolivian Army. During the final stage of the war, the main lines of defense commanded by General Bernardino Bilbao Rioja were situated here.Villamontes became famous by the so-called "Corralito de Villamontes" (1934), when the head of state, Dr. Daniel Salamanca Urey, was arrested by army units during his stay at Villamontes, and on 28 November 1934 was substituted in a coup d'état by vice president José Luis Tejada Sorzano.