Why did Chile fight the Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation from 1836 to 1839?

Chile fought the Peruvian-Bolivian Confederation from 1836 to 1839 primarily due to geopolitical and economic tensions. The formation of the powerful new state under the leadership of Andrés Santa Cruz was viewed with fear and opposition by its South American neighbors, including Chile.1

The conflict was exacerbated by existing economic rivalries between the ports of Callao in Peru and Valparaíso in Chile, which had strained relations between the two nations. Furthermore, the war served to strengthen the Chilean government, which was then under a conservative hegemony, by helping to unify different political factions and broaden domestic support for the administration of Joaquín Prieto. The war concluded in 1839 with a decisive Chilean victory at the Battle of Yungay, leading to the dissolution of the confederation.123