On July 20, 1810, Colombian patriots stirred the population of Bogotá into
street protests against Spanish rule. The Viceroy, under pressure, was forced to
agree to allow for a limited independence which later became permanent. Today,
July 20 is celebrated in Colombia as Independence Day.
An Unhappy Population:
The people of New Granada (now Colombia) were unhappy with Spanish rule.
Napoleon had invaded Spain in 1808 and imprisoned King Ferdinand VII. Napoleon
then put his brother Joseph Bonaparte on the Spanish throne, infuriating most of
Spanish America. In New Granada, Camilo Torres Tenorio had written in 1809 his
famous Memorial de Agravios (“Remembrance of Offenses”) about repeated Spanish
slights against Creoles, who often could not hold high offices and whose trade
was restricted. His sentiments were echoed by many.Pressure for Colombian Independence:
By July of 1810, Bogota was a holdout for Spanish rule in the region. To
the south, leading citizens
of Quito had attempted to wrest control of their government from Spain in
August of 1809: this revolt had been put down and the leaders thrown in a
dungeon. To the east, Caracas
had declared a provisional independence on April 19. Even within New Granada
there was pressure: the important seaside city of Cartagena had declared
independence in May and other small towns and regions had followed suit. All
eyes turned to Bogota, seat of the Viceroy.
Conspiracies and Flower Vases:
Bogota’s patriots had a plan. On the morning of the 20th, they would ask
well-known Spanish merchant Joaquín Gonzalez Llorente to borrow a flower vase
with which to adorn a table for a celebration in honor of Antonio Villavicencio,
a well-known patriot sympathizer. It was assumed that Llorente, who had a
reputation for irascibility, would refuse. His refusal would be the excuse to
provoke a riot and force the Viceroy to hand power over to the creoles.
Meanwhile, Joaquín Camacho would go to the Viceregal palace and request an open
council: they knew that this, too, would be refused.
The Plan in Action:
Camacho proceeded to the home of Viceroy Viceroy Antonio José Amar y
Borbón, where the petition for an open town meeting regarding independence was
predictably denied. Meanwhile, Luís Rubio went to ask Llorente for the flower
vase. By some accounts, he refused rudely, and by others, he declined politely,
forcing the patriots to go to plan B, which was to antagonize him into saying
something rude. Either Llorente obliged them or they made it up: it didn’t
matter. Patriots ran through the streets of Bogota, claiming that both Amar y
Borbón and Llorente had been rude. The population, already on edge, was easy to
incite.
Riot in Bogota:
The people of Bogota took to the streets to protest Spanish arrogance. The
intervention of Bogota Mayor José Miguel Pey was necessary to save the skin of
the unfortunate Llorente, who was attacked by a mob. Guided by patriots like
José María Carbonell, the lower classes of Bogota made their way to the main
square, where they loudly demanded an open town meeting to determine the future
of the city and New Granada. Once the people were sufficiently stirred up,
Carbonell then took some men and surrounded the local cavalry and infantry
barracks, where the soldiers did not dare attack the unruly mob.
An Open Meeting:
Meanwhile, patriot leaders returned to Viceroy Amar y Borbón and tried to
get him to consent to a peaceful solution: if he agreed to hold a town meeting
to elect a local governing council, they would see to it that he would be part
of the council. When Amar y Borbón hesitated, José Acevedo y Gómez made an
impassioned speech to the angry crowd, directing them to the Royal Audience,
where the Viceroy was meeting with the Creoles. With a mob at his doorstep, Amar
y Borbón had no choice but to sign the act which permitted a local ruling
council and eventually independence.
Legacy of the July 20 Conspiracy:
Bogotá, like Quito and Caracas, formed a local ruling council which
supposedly would rule until such time as Ferdinand VII was restored to power. In
reality, it was the sort of measure that cannot be undone, and as such was the
first official step on Colombia's path to freedom which would culminate in 1819
with the Battle
of Boyacá and Simón
Bolívar's triumphant entry into Bogotá.
Viceroy Amar y Borbón was allowed to sit on the council for a while before being arrested. Even his wife was arrested, mostly to appease the wives of Creole leaders who detested her.
Many of the patriots involved in the conspiracy, such as Carbonell, Camacho and Torres, went on to become important leaders of Colombia in the next few years.
Although Bogotá had followed Cartagena and other cities in rebellion against Spain, they did not unite. The next few years would be marked by such civil strife between independent regions and cities that the era would become known as the "Patria Boba" which roughly translates as "Idiot Nation" or "Foolish Fatherland." It wasn't until Colombians began fighting the Spanish instead of one another that New Granada would continue on its path to freedom.
Colombians are very patriotic and enjoy celebrating their Independence Day with feasts, traditional food, parades and parties.
Viceroy Amar y Borbón was allowed to sit on the council for a while before being arrested. Even his wife was arrested, mostly to appease the wives of Creole leaders who detested her.
Many of the patriots involved in the conspiracy, such as Carbonell, Camacho and Torres, went on to become important leaders of Colombia in the next few years.
Although Bogotá had followed Cartagena and other cities in rebellion against Spain, they did not unite. The next few years would be marked by such civil strife between independent regions and cities that the era would become known as the "Patria Boba" which roughly translates as "Idiot Nation" or "Foolish Fatherland." It wasn't until Colombians began fighting the Spanish instead of one another that New Granada would continue on its path to freedom.
Colombians are very patriotic and enjoy celebrating their Independence Day with feasts, traditional food, parades and parties.
