Did you know Fernando Lores Tenazoa was a military hero? He was born in Iquitos on April 27 1906. Fernando Lores died in combat on March 26 1933.
Fernando Lores’ father was Benito Eugenio Lores Hurtado. His mother was María Prostasia Tenazoa Vásquez. His father worked as a commissioner in Putumayo. He also headed the “Iquitos” boat. Fernando was the third of five siblings. He studied at the Colegio Departamental de Iquitos. He finished his primary education in 1918. His father abandoned them. He spent his adolescence doing small jobs.
At 20 years old, Fernando Lores moved to Lima. He volunteered for the Military School of Chorrillos in 1928. He became a corporal in 1929. In 1930 he rose to sergeant. He joined the Sappers Battalion No. 2. He served there until March 1931. Then he asked to leave.
Fernando Lores returned to Iquitos. When the conflict with Colombia began in 1932, he rejoined the army in early 1933.
He reinforced the garrison of Güeppí. It was at the sources of the Putumayo River. He sailed from Iquitos on the “Clavero” on February 19 1933. He traveled the Napo River to Cabo Pantoja. He continued on the Aguarico River. He then took tangled jungle paths to his destination. Only 194 Peruvian soldiers defended the river port of Gueppí. They had limited resources. The forces defending the Putumayo border were similarly equipped. They used drums for communication between nearby posts.
Colombian forces attacked Güeppí on March 26 1933. They had 1300 soldiers and superior weapons. Sergeant Lores defended one of the sections of Gueppí with seven soldiers. He stood out by running and firing his machine gun. He fought despite many bullet wounds. He kept fighting until his last breath.
A street in Iquitos bears his name. Law N° 8311 created the Fernando Lores district on June 8 1936. It is part of the Maynas province in Loreto.
Resolution N° 7336 renamed school N° 161 as “Sargento 2do. Fernando Lores Tenazoa” on September 28 1951. It later became Institución Educativa Primaria Secundaria de Menores N° 61010 “Fernando Lores Tenazoa.”
The Army’s Higher Technological Education Institute also honors him. A ministerial resolution in 1977 named the Army Technical School after him. It honored the hero of Gueppi who died in his youth. This showed his love for his country. He defended its sacred interests. Fernando Lores represented the “new man” that the Technical School wanted to create. He had been part of the institution and died defending the territory.
Fernando Lores was brave. He was deeply patriotic. He loved Loreto. He inspires us still today.