Martín Vizcarra
A former engineer who rose to Peru's presidency on an anti-corruption platform, only to be impeached and barred from office himself.
Born 1963 (age 63)·President of Peru from 2018 to 2020·Birthday: March 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
Martín Vizcarra's political journey is a story of dramatic ascent and precipitous fall, set against Peru's turbulent governance. An engineer by training, he first made his mark as the governor of Moquegua, a region where he successfully negotiated with mining giants to secure greater local benefits. This reputation for pragmatic, results-oriented leadership propelled him to the vice presidency in 2016 under Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. When Kuczynski resigned amid scandal in 2018, Vizcarra stepped into the top job. He immediately staked his presidency on a fierce crusade against political corruption, pushing through a controversial referendum to reform the judiciary and congress. His aggressive tactics, however, galvanized a hostile legislature. After a protracted power struggle, congress impeached and removed him in 2020 over allegations of misconduct during his governorship—a move many Peruvians saw as a political vendetta. His legacy is a paradox: a president elected to clean house who was ultimately ousted by the very system he sought to purify.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Martín was born in 1963, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Martín Was Born
The biggest hits of 1963
#1 Movie
Cleopatra
Best Picture
Tom Jones
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Martín's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1963Born
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1968Started school
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1976Became a teenager
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Could drive
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1981Could vote
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Turned 21
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1993Turned 30
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 40
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 50
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 60
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 63 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Successfully negotiated a significant increase in mining royalties for his home region of Moquegua as its governor.
- Became President of Peru in 2018 following the resignation of his predecessor, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.
- Championed and won a national referendum in 2018 on anti-corruption measures, including judicial and campaign finance reform.
- Led Peru's initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing one of Latin America's earliest and strictest lockdowns.
Did You Know?
He served as Peru's ambassador to Canada for less than a year before being recalled to become vice president.
Vizcarra's impeachment in 2020 made him the second consecutive Peruvian president to be removed from office.
In 2021, he was banned from holding public office for ten years by a congressional committee.
He holds a civil engineering degree from the National University of Engineering in Lima.
“We are not here to warm the seat. We are here to work for the country.”
