In order to avoid the sentence, Calderón fled to the Bolivian interior where he spent years in the Llanos de Moxos.

[1] He was born in La Paz to Daniel Calderón Rada and Eulalia Roberta Bittencourt Jones.

That year, he was persuaded to join the efforts of José Miguel de Velasco to oust the ballivianistas from power.

[5] Calderón did not hesitate to abandon Velasco when Manuel Isidoro Belzu challenged the President.

Now an adherent to the belcista cause, Calderón helped overthrow Velasco less than a year after the coup that ousted Ballivián.

Arriving in Puno, Calderón found the city full of Bolivian exiles looking to return.

Sensing an opportunity, Calderón joined General Mariano Melgarejo in his efforts to oust the unpopular Achá.

Led by generals Casto Arguedas, Ildefonso Sanjinés, and Nicanor Flores, the Constitutionalist Revolution nearly ousted Melgarejo.

However, scoring major victories in the Battle of Cantería, Calderón was promoted to the rank of brigadier general.