After the fall of Bernardo O'Higgins in 1823, Arcos' parents fled to Paris, eventually establishing a financial concern.
Arcos refused to return to Europe with his father and eventually co-founded the Sociedad de Igualidad, a revolutionary organization that helped spearhead the 1851 Chilean Revolution.
Eventually, Arcos fled to Peru and later to Argentina, trying to aid revolutionary efforts in Chile from afar.
Arcos would return to Paris in 1865 after years of revolutionary activity in South America.
After being diagnosed with throat cancer, Arcos committed suicide by drowning himself in the River Seine in January 1869.