Manuel de Molina Zamudio

Manuel de Molina Zamudio (1 March 1790 – 19 March 1868) was a Bolivian politician and lawyer who served as Minister of Finance during the administration of José Ballivián.^[1] He began his political career during the presidency of Andrés de Santa Cruz, when he served as secretary to Mariano Enrique Calvo. As Santa Cruz's most trusted ally in Bolivia, Calvo wielded immense powers in the country. Being Calvo's secretary, Molina flourished politically during this period, especially during the peak of the Peru–Bolivian Confederation. After the fall of Santa Cruz, he supported the unsuccessful governments of Sebastián Ágreda and Calvo, ultimately becoming an ardent ballivianista after the Battle of Ingavi. Molina was exiled when Eusebio Guilarte was ousted in 1848, spending a long exile in Chile.^[2] His granddaughter, Carmen Calvo Molina, was married to Daniel Sánchez Bustamante. Through Carmen, he is the great-grandfather of famed Bolivian feminist, María Luisa Sánchez Bustamante. He was married to María del Carmen Frías Ametller, sister of Tomás Frías.

Born in Cochabamba, Upper Peru, Viceroyalty of Peru, on March 1, 1790, Molina was the son of Francisco Plácido de Molina and Maria Mercedes Zamudio. His father was a supporter of Pedro Domingo Murillo and was forced to flee Upper Peru in 1809.^[3]

In 1820, Molina was sent to Buenos Aires to attend boarding school. At time, the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata had already achieved their independence from Spain, meaning that this region was fervently on the side of the patriots. Anti-royalist sentiments were powerful in Buenos Aires, influencing Molina at a young age with ideas of liberalism. In 1825, he aspired to join the army of Antonio José de Sucre and Francisco Burdett O’Conner. They were tasked, by Simón Bolívar, to defeat the remaining forces of Pedro Antonio Olañeta in Upper Peru. However, by the time Molina had reached Salta, Bolivia was proclaimed an independent republic.^[4]

Triumphant, the patriots established a newly independent nation named after Bolívar. Molina, an ardent supporter of the cause, chose to abandon his life in Buenos Aires and permanently move to Bolivia. There, he enrolled in the University of San Francisco Xavier, graduating as a lawyer in 1832. That same year, he caught the attention of President Santa Cruz, who had seized power in 1829. In 1833, Santa Cruz appointed Molina as secretary to Mariano Enrique Calvo. Between 1835 and 1839, Calvo served as Vice President of Bolivia. During Santa Cruz's absence, Calvo was acting president in Bolivia.^[5]

In 1836, Calvo sent Molina along the Bolivian delegation to Lima. Said delegation officially pronounced the Peru–Bolivian Confederation. The same year, Calvo was made division general by supreme decree, angering the Bolivian army. Molina was sent appease the garrison of Tupiza, which had mutinied on December 16, 1836. On January 11 of the next year, Molina arrived in Tupiza. Hoping to appease the mutinous army, he attempted to give a speech at the plaza de armas (the main square) of the city. However, in the middle of his speech, Molina was shot three times. Fortunately for him, the bullets did not penetrate deep enough to constitute a threat to his life.^[6]

By 1839, warring with Argentina and Chile, Santa Cruz had lost the support of most of the elites in Bolivia and Peru. To reassure Santa Cruz, Calvo dispatched Molina to Tacna. There, Molina ensured Santa Cruz that the rebellious General José Miguel de Velasco had been quelled. However, on January 20, 1839, when Santa Cruz clashed with the Chilean army and Peruvian exile militias at the Battle of Yungay, most of the Bolivian high command deserted his side. Velasco, who led the movement, captured Molina, who was present at the battle. Now in power, Velasco carried out a massive purge within the Bolivian army. Some generals he purged included Francisco O’Connor and Otto Philipp Braun. In 1840, Velasco appointed Molina as Prefect of Sucre, although for a very short period as Molina continued conspiring against Velasco and was ultimately exiled that same year.^[7]

In 1841, he returned from exile when Velasco was ousted by a coup led by elite civilians in the country. General Sebastián Ágreda would be appointed president on June 10. However, less than a month later, he himself was forced to resign in favor of Calvo. Appointed as Calvo's secretary yet again, Molina found the nation on the verge of civil war. Supporters of Ballivián, Velasco, and José Mariano Serrano waged a three-way civil war. By September, it became evident that Agustin Gamarra would launch an invasion of Bolivia. Convincing Calvo and Serrano to side with Ballivián, Molina played a crucial role in preserving Bolivian independence. Velasco, seeing himself outnumbered, too joined the coalition under Ballivián. Molina was present at the Battle of Ingavi on November 18.^[8]

After Ingavi, Molina officially entered Bolivian politics, being elected on February 19, 1842, to the Chamber of Deputies representing La Paz. During his tenure, he was a staunch ballivianista and adhered solely to the policies of the incumbent President of Bolivia. As a reward for his continued loyalty, Ballivián appointed him Minister of Finance on April 28, 1843.^[9] Thus, Molina vacated his position in the Chamber of Deputies. Although a competent statesman, Molina blindly obeyed ballivianista rhetoric, meaning he neglected several aspects of Bolivia's finances. By the time he left the office to his eventual successor, Tomás Frías, Bolivia's fiscal matters were in a complete state of chaos. He was appointed again to the Chamber of Deputies, this time representing Oruro, on May 31, 1844.^[10]

By late 1847, the partisans of Velasco and Belzu, who was Molina's first cousin by virtue of his marriage to Juana Manuela Gorriti, launched a revolution that ousted Ballivián. Hoping to maintain his influence, Ballivián appointed Eusebio Guilarte as president. However, within a matter of weeks, Guilarte too was overthrown. Velasco and Belzu would agree to an uneasy alliance which established the former as president. Molina, although a relative of Belzu, was exiled because of his continued loyalty to the ballivianista cause. He would establish himself in Santiago, Chile, where he continued writing pamphlets supporting the return of Ballivián. In 1850, he met with Ballivián in Argentina. There, they discussed a potential invasion from the south, supported by Molina's family in Salta. However, nothing came of this plan and Ballivián eventually died in 1852.^[11]

With his health deteriorated, perhaps suffering from cancer, Molina retired to private life. He died, away from the public sphere March 19, 1868, aged 78.^[12]