From that time on, Chile had complete control
of the Pacific, which gave her rapid access
to expand the war. In 1879, Chile invaded
the coastal Department of Tarapacá in
southern Peru and a number of scattered Peruvian port cities along the desert
coast. On January 17, 1881, Chilean forces
took Lima, the capital city. The war continued
until October 20, 1883, when the Treaty of Ancón put
an end to it.