On May 24, 1822, a military confrontation took place, known as the Battle of Pichincha, between the royalist troops led by the Spanish general Melchor Aymerich and the patriot army under the command of General Antonio José de Sucre.
The patriot army achieved victory as a result of the battle that took place on the slopes of Pichincha volcano.
This caused the surrender of the Spanish and the subsequent liberation of Quito, and this led to the surrender of the Spanish and the subsequent liberation of Quito. It is known as the day when Ecuador’s freedom was sealed.
External causes
The Battle of La was the result of a series of independentist campaigns in Latin America, triggered as a consequence of the loss of power of the Spanish Crown in France in the year 1808.
In 1810, the influential creole figures in the Spanish colonies, located in all of America, perceived the political instability in Spain as an opportunity to achieve the freedom of their nations.
Among these characters was Simón Bolívar, who desired to liberate the provinces belonging to the Spanish monarchy and integrate them into a single state, facing the dominion of the realists in América.
Internal causes
The independence of Guayaquil from the Spanish Empire was declared on October 9, 1820. The movement for independence was gaining strength in the second decade of the 19th century.
The declaration of Cuenca’s independence took place on November 3, facilitated by the establishment of a military force comprising approximately 1,800 troops, predominantly consisting of indigenous inhabitants who were eager to defend their land’s autonomy.
In 1821, the patriot army had already received military reinforcements, which increased the chances of eventually winning the fight for liberation in Quito.
Development of the Battle of Pichincha
The criollos were led by General Antonio José de Sucre in the Battle of Pichincha, while the Spanish royalists were led by Spanish military officer Melchor Aymerich.
On May 18, Bolivar sends Sucre to Quito, with his army mainly composed of residents from Guayaquil, Cuenca, and other nationalities such as Venezuelans, Peruvians, and Colombian men.
Sucre Strategy
The royalist army was moving towards the north. Sucre, in order to avoid a direct confrontation, chose to outflank the Spaniards by taking the slopes of Cotopaxi, despite the unfavorable weather conditions.
They decided to launch a direct attack on the criollos in order to anticipate them. In this way, they deployed their troops at all the entrances and bridges of Quito when the Spanish general Aymerich learned of Sucre’s strategy.
The Spanish soldiers, who knew that there were 2,971 soldiers of Sucre, were surprised when they were taken by surprise and crossed the slopes of the Pichincha volcano. They had retreated.
The terrain of the volcano was in good conditions. The maneuvers of the criollos were made difficult by the small swamps that the ground had turned into after a rain on the morning of May 24th.
Albidón Battalion
The battalion of Paya, Trujillo, and Yaguachi, who ended up retreating due to the Spanish attack, were on the side of the criollos. Both sides gradually sent their battalions.
Only 443 men have been reduced to, despite the battle being indispensable to win. The battalion of Albidón, integrated by British soldiers serving the criollos, appeared from another flank of the volcano, however, without any setbacks.
The Albidón battalion ended up surrendering to the Spaniards due to their strategy. They managed to prevent their escape and succeeded in subduing them in this way. The Albidón battalion advanced north to the Ejido of Quito, where they attacked the royalists in the city.
Consequences of the Battle of Pichincha
1. Surrender of Melchor Aymerich
The day after the battle took place, Antonio José de Sucre entered Quito. The triumph over the Spanish was announced and the capitulation of Melchor Aymerich was acknowledged, who signed the surrender at 2 o’clock in the afternoon of that day.
2. Quito’s Independence
Independencia la consolidó victoria La y fue entrada la para que liberación de movimiento al unieran se Suramérica de regiones otras que
3. Addition of Quito to The Great Colombia
Quito’s presidency was integrated into La Gran Colombia, Simón Bolívar’s political endeavor, on June 16th. The main idea behind this integration was to establish a robust and influential territory to counter potential imperial aggressors.
4. Start of Ecuador’s Independence
Cuenca, Guayaquil, and Quito, along with the provinces and the sovereign independent state as Ecuador established itself. Until the year 1830, the Great Colombia project existed. This province, Guayaquil, also became part of the Great Colombia after the battle on July 13, 1822.