Jorge del Prado Chávez was born on August 15, 1910, in the Yanahuara district of Arequipa, Peru.[5] He was the son of Eleodoro del Prado and Carmen Chávez.
Before his political career, del Prado Chávez worked as painter, artist, and journalist.[1]
Inspired by activist and future colleague José Carlos Mariátegui,[6] he founded a revolutionary group in Arequipa in 1928 consisting of Marxist intellectuals and trade unionists.[7] Shortly after that, in 1929, he quit his job as an artist and joined the Peruvian Communist Party as a full-time member.[1]
He joined the PCP's Central Committee in 1931 and became its Secretary and a member of its Political Commission in 1942.
From 1958 until 1962, del Prado Chávez was the editor of the PCP's newspaper, Unidad. del Prado Chávez ran as a candidate with the National Liberation Front (FLN) in 1962.[4] He was elected Secretary General of the PCP in 1966.[6]
In the aftermath of the victory of the Cuban revolution and the Sino-Soviet split, del Prado Chávez remained firmly attached to the Soviet line. He discarding the possibility for an armed revolution in Peru under the existing conditions.[8][9]
Del Prado Chávez stood as a candidate in several elections. He was elected as a member of the 1978 Constituent Assembly and again elected as senator in the 1980, 1985 and 1990 elections.[1] In 1980 he contested on behalf of the Left Unity (UI).[4] In 1985 he stood as a United Left candidate, obtaining 183,022 votes.[10] In 1990 he again contested on behalf of IU.[4] He retired from his position as general secretary of the PCP and was succeeded by Luis Villanueva Carbajal.[11]
Del Prado Chávez wrote several books about the communist and labour movements of Peru.[6] He was the author of three books on Mariátegui.[1]
Death and legacy
Jorge del Prado Chávez died on August 13, 1999, at Almenara Hospital in Lima.[5]
Throughout his lifetime, del Prado Chávez received various international orders and medals. His most notable ones include:[1]