Bolivian customs office at Puerto Alonso prompts declaration of the Republic of Acre

Background. Bolivia established an administrative post in Puerto Alonso in 1899, exacting taxes and customs duties on Brazilian activities. This fiscal pressure led to serious uprisings among the Brazilian settlers in the region. The conflict arose from the tension between Bolivian sovereignty claims and the economic interests of the rubber tappers, who sought independence from Bolivian authority.

Declaration of the Republic. Luis Gálvez Rodríguez de Arias, a Spanish journalist, led an expedition to seize control of the Acre region. On July 14, 1899, he declared himself president of the First Republic of Acre, coinciding with the anniversary of the Fall of the Bastille. He established his capital at Puerto Alonso, renaming it Cidade do Acre, and proclaimed the Independent State of Acre.

Suppression and Restoration. The first republic lasted until March 1900. The Brazilian government sent troops to arrest Gálvez and restore Acre to Bolivia. President Campos Sales abolished the ephemeral republic under protests from Bolivia. Gálvez surrendered to the Brazilian Navy task force on March 11, 1900, at the Caquetá rubber plantation, leading to his exile.