benefited from a close commercial relationship with Venezuela. Structure of the Confederation In each of the Confederation's states, there was, from 1837 until the dissolution, a “provisional president” under Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz, who was styled the “supreme protector” and was also president of Bolivia. Bolivia President: General José Miguel de Velasco North Peru (also known as Republic of the North of Peru, or North-Peruvian Republic) First President: General Luis Orbegoso (August 21, 1837 – July 30, 1838) Second President: General José de la Riva Agüero (August 1, 1838 – January 24, 1839) South Peru (also known as Republic of the South of Peru, or South-Peruvian Republic) First President: General Ramón Herrera Rodado (b. 1799 – d. 1882) (September 17, 1837 – October 12, 1838) Second President: Juan Pío de Tristán y Moscoso (b. 1773 – d. 1859) (October 12, 1838 – February 23, 1839) Administrative divisions Conflicts and the international situation However, the Confederation generated resistance among several groups in both countries, which resented the dilution of national identities, and also among neighboring countries. An important number of Peruvian politicians opposed to the idea of the Confederation fled to Chile, where they received support, and this led to the War of the Confederation. The creation of the Peru–Bolivian Confederation by Marshal Andrés de Santa Cruz caused great alarm in the neighboring countries. The potential power of this confederation aroused the opposition of Argentina and, above all, Chile, due not only to its great territorial expanse but also to the perceived threat that such a rich state signified for the area. Diego Portales, arguably the most important Chilean statesman of the 19th century, who at the time was the power behind president José Joaquín Prieto, was very concerned that the new Confederation would break the regional balance of power and even be a threat to Chilean independence, and so immediately became its enemy. But that was just one of the reasons behind the war. On a deeper level, both countries were in a heated competition for control of the commercial routes on the Pacific—and for the Chileans specially, whose relations with independent Peru had already been strained by economic problems centering on rivalry between their ports of Callao and Valparaíso. For the north Peruvians also, the Confederation was viewed as the most serious threat to their economic interests. The direct conflict between the Confederation and Chile started with a