The Province of Arica was a historical territorial division of Peru, which existed between 1823 and 1883. It was populated by pre-Hispanic peoples for a long period of time before Spanish colonisation in the early 16th century saw the transformation of a small town into a thriving port. Trade in both gold and silver, especially the latter, was facilitated through Arica after the precious metals were first extracted in Bolivia from the City of Potosi, one of the world's highest cities. Following the War of the Pacific, the province was transferred to Chile and became an official Chilean territory in 1929.