Cry of Independence (Colombia)

Cry of Independence (Colombia)
Name	Cry of Independence (Colombia)
Native name	Grito de Independencia
Date	July 20, 1810
Place	Bogotá, Viceroyalty of New Granada
Result	Establishment of the Supreme Governing Junta of Santa Fe; opening of the Spanish American wars of independence in New Granada

Cry of Independence (Colombia) The Cry of Independence (July 20, 1810) was a pivotal event in the Spanish American wars of independence that precipitated the collapse of Spanish Empire authority in the Viceroyalty of New Granada, centered on Bogotá. The incident catalyzed provincial juntas, influenced leaders such as Simón Bolívar, Antonio Nariño, and Camilo Torres Tenorio, and connected to broader Atlantic revolutions including the French Revolution, the American Revolution, and the Peninsular War.

Background

Tensions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the Viceroyalty of New Granada emerged from disputes among criollos, peninsulares, Audiencia de Santafé de Bogotá, and officials of the Spanish Empire amid disruptions from the Napoleonic Wars and the abdications of Bayonne. Economic strains involved merchants linked to Cartagena de Indias, Cádiz, Seville, and Havana while intellectual currents from the Enlightenment, the Bourbon Reforms, and writings by François de La Rochefoucauld and Marquis de Condorcet circulated alongside pamphlets by Antonio Nariño and translations of Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Local crises intersected with actions by military units such as detachments from the Royalist Army (Spanish) and militia groups in Santafé de Bogotá, while provincial elites in Tunja, Popayán, and Pasto monitored developments in Cádiz Cortes, Madrid, and Seville.

The Cry of Independence (July 20, 1810)

On July 20, 1810, a formal demonstration in Plaza de Bolívar in Bogotá combined with a staged incident around a purportedly broken caja de aguardientes to provoke a public crisis involving merchants from Viceroyalty of New Granada, criollo leaders aligned with José Celestino Mutis and Jorge Tadeo Lozano, and military officers sympathetic to provincial juntas. The crowd, including representatives from Santafé, Cartagena, and Cundinamarca, demanded the removal of Spanish officials such as members of the Audiencia de Santafé de Bogotá and prompted the formation of the Supreme Governing Junta of Santa Fe under José Miguel Pey de Andrade and associates tied to Francisco José de Caldas and Camilo Torres Tenorio. The proclamation echoed contemporary documents like the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and was influenced by debates in the Cádiz Cortes, the example of Buenos Aires May Revolution, and uprisings in Venezuela and Quito.

Key Figures and Participants

Prominent criollo intellectuals and politicians included Antonio Nariño, Camilo Torres Tenorio, Francisco José de Caldas, Jorge Tadeo Lozano, and José Fernández Madrid, while military actors involved or later influential were officers such as Nicolás de Federman-era descendants and veterans influenced by campaigns of Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander. Royalist figures and peninsulares in the Audiencia de Santafé de Bogotá and officials appointed from Madrid opposed the junta, linking to networks in Cartagena de Indias and Guayaquil. Intellectual backers included scientists and clergy associated with the Royal Botanical Expedition to New Granada, educators from institutions like the University of Santo Tomás (Colombia), and merchants with ties to Cartagena, Santa Marta, and connections to firms in Seville and Cádiz.

Immediate Aftermath and Political Developments

Following July 20, the Supreme Governing Junta of Santa Fe sought recognition from provincial councils in Tunja, Cundinamarca, Quito, and Popayán and faced counterrevolutionary responses from royalist authorities in Cartagena and Pastos. The period known as Patria Boba saw factionalism between federalists and centralists, with disputes involving leaders like Camilo Torres Tenorio, Antonio Nariño, and José María Cabal; military campaigns later involved commanders including Simón Bolívar, Francisco de Paula Santander, and royalist generals such as Melchor Aymerich. Diplomatic and military links extended to neighboring independence movements in Venezuela under Francisco de Miranda and Santiago Mariño and to events in Peru and Buenos Aires where the May Revolution had earlier set precedents. Treaties, proclamations, and juntas proliferated across provinces, intersecting with international attention from British Empire merchants, French strategic calculations, and the geopolitical context of the Napoleonic Wars.

Role in the Independence Movement

The July 20 uprising functioned as both a symbolic rupture and an organizational catalyst that tied New Granadan provinces into the larger Spanish American wars of independence network led by figures such as Simón Bolívar, Antonio Nariño, and Francisco de Paula Santander. It provided a model for forming juntas, influenced constitutional experiments like the Constitution of Cundinamarca and writings by Antonio Nariño and informed military campaigns including those by José Antonio Anzoátegui and José de San Martín in neighboring regions. The event connected to legal debates in the Cádiz Cortes and transatlantic republican thought, affecting subsequent negotiations with royalists, engagements with foreign powers such as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ultimate emergence of successor states including Republic of Colombia (Gran Colombia).

Commemoration and Legacy

July 20 is commemorated as Colombia's national holiday, celebrated through ceremonies in Plaza de Bolívar, parades involving institutions like the National Army (Colombia), and public commemorations by cultural bodies such as the National Museum of Colombia and universities like the National University of Colombia. Historiography has debated the roles of figures such as Antonio Nariño and Camilo Torres Tenorio with scholarship appearing in journals tied to Universidad de los Andes, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and archival collections from the Archivo General de la Nación (Colombia). Monuments to participants, including statues of Simón Bolívar and plaques honoring José Miguel Pey de Andrade, mark urban spaces in Bogotá, while the event’s memory figures in debates over national identity, civic ritual, and the legacy of the Spanish Empire in Latin America.

Category:History of Colombia Category:Spanish American wars of independence