Definition of Battle of Pichincha

Although militarily, the Battle of Pichincha does not have a great relevance in the context of the Wars of Independence Latin American countries, its geopolitical consequences exceed the scope of the Spanish military defeat, giving way to the independence of Ecuador.

The Battle of Pichincha was fought on May 24, 1822 between Spanish troops (the so-called Realist side) on the one hand, and a combined army of the Gran Colombia and Peru on the other, with the aim of maintaining dominance over Quito and Guayaquil the former, and of conquering or liberating them by the seconds.

In 1820 there had been serious setbacks for the royalists, such as the Battle of Boyacá and the Guayaquil uprising. The battle of Pichincha would be the continuation logic of the latter, and one more step in a process that had no turning back.

In terms of warfare, it did not involve a great display of men and weapons, with a combined army of Peruvians and Colombians, which numbered some 3,000 men, against a roughly equivalent number of realistic. Both troops were backed by a limited number of artillery pieces. The American troops also included Argentine and Chilean volunteers.

The objective of General Sucre's men was to take Quito, an objective known to the Spanish commander, General Melchor Aymerich.

The latter decided to shield the steps of Mountain that they were taking to Quito with the artillery posted so that he could dominate them.

Bliss provision led the liberating troops to dodge the defensive device, for which Sucre ordered the march down the slope of the volcano Cotopaxi.

To avoid being captured by his rear and isolated from Quito, Aymerich ordered his troops to retreat towards the city, presumably expecting a direct attack.

Sucre wanted his troops to enjoy the best starting position, so he ordered them to climb the Pichincha volcano, which dominates the entire city.

Although it was a maneuver that could give him a considerable advantage, it also had its risks. The ascent began under the cover of night darkness to cover the troops, who had to be in position at sunrise. However, the terrain would hinder the march, delaying it.

The royalist sentinels stationed in Quito also discovered the rise of the independence troops, by what Aymerich ordered his soldiers to also ascend the volcano to confront the forces of Sucre.

When dawn broke, the Sucre soldiers were surprised by volleys of muskets.

After taking cover and receiving reinforcements, they could not balance the balance, leaving the initiative in the field momentarily to the Spaniards, and initiating a withdrawal maneuver after a failed attempt outflanking Aymerich's forces, firing at pleasure from positions taken in time to advance.

The rugged terrain made it difficult for reinforcements to arrive, as well as maneuvers and gaining superiority against the enemy, but these were handicaps that also hurt the team. force Spanish, who was unable to gain a net superiority to the Patriots.

Thus, an attempted charge on the rear of Sucre by a Spanish battalion was rejected by the pro-independence reinforcements, arriving in extremis at the scene of the skirmish.

Finally, and in an act of heroism, the patriotic soldiers managed to definitively break the realistic line.

The remaining Spanish troops withdrew, taking refuge in a small fortress, where they finally capitulated at the request of Sucre, who wanted to avoid the slaughter that an assault frontal. Aymerich also saw no possibility of endurance, so he preferred to prevent the rest of his men from perishing uselessly.

Quito and its province became part of Gran Colombia.

The wars of independence would end much later, but Pichincha supposed in a way the national awakening of Ecuador, which would lead to the independence of Colombia in 1830.

Photo: Fotolia - nida

Themes in Battle of Pichincha