The Colombian War of Independence began on July 20, 1810, when the Junta of Santa Fe was formed in Bogotá, the capital of the Spanish Viceroyalty of New Granada. This event, known today as Colombia's Independence Day, marked the start of a decade-long struggle against Spanish colonial rule and inspired movements across Latin America.
Background to the Revolt
The roots of the independence movement lay in the crisis of the Spanish monarchy, exacerbated by Napoleon Bonaparte's invasion of Spain in 1808. Napoleon forced Charles IV and Ferdinand VII to abdicate, installing his brother Joseph Bonaparte as king. The Spanish resistance formed a Supreme Central Junta to coordinate efforts against French occupation. While most American colonies initially swore allegiance to this Junta, dissatisfaction simmered.
Tensions in the colonies were fueled by long-standing grievances, including the exclusion of criollos (locally born whites) from high offices, and Spain's monopolization of trade, which hampered economic growth in the Americas. Enlightenment ideals, inspired by revolutions in France and the United States, began spreading among the criollo elite, while the financial strains of Spain's wars deepened unrest.
In 1809, Camilo Torres Tenorio, a prominent lawyer in Bogotá, drafted the Memorandum of Offenses, advocating equal rights for criollos and peninsulares (Spaniards born in Spain). Though not officially adopted, it encapsulated the growing frustrations of the colonial elite.
Flower Vase Incident and July 20, 1810
On the morning of July 20, 1810, a planned provocation known as the Flower Vase Incident ignited public unrest in Bogotá. Criollo leaders, seeking to spark a revolt, sent emissaries to José González Llorente, a Spanish merchant, to request a flower vase for a dinner celebrating Antonio Villavicencio, a royal commissioner of criollo descent. Llorente’s refusal and derogatory comments about criollos were used to stoke public anger.
Crowds gathered in the streets, and protests escalated into demands for local governance. That evening, under pressure from the public, the Junta of Santa Fe was established, initially swearing loyalty to Ferdinand VII but rejecting the authority of the Spanish viceroy, Antonio José Amar y Borbón. Days later, the junta declared independence, severing ties with Spain.
Map of New Granada around 1811, showing the different tendencies for control of the nation: Federalists, Centralists and Royalists. The United Provinces of New Granada that signed the Act of Union of 1811 correspond mainly to the red areas. © Dark Millennium
Foolish Fatherland (1810–1815)
The initial years of independence, often called the Patria Boba or Foolish Fatherland, were marked by internal divisions. Provinces across New Granada formed their own juntas, leading to disputes over governance. Federalists, favoring decentralized rule, clashed with centralists advocating strong centralized power. This division culminated in civil wars between the Federalist First Republic of New Granada and the Centralist State of Cundinamarca from 1812 to 1814.
Meanwhile, Spanish loyalists retained control of key regions, including Santa Marta and the south. Efforts to reclaim these territories, such as Antonio Nariño’s Southern Campaign, ended in failure, leaving New Granada vulnerable to Spanish reconquest.
Spanish Reconquest (1815–1819)
In 1815, Spain launched a major military expedition under Pablo Morillo, retaking Cartagena after a brutal siege. Over the next year, royalist forces regained control of New Granada, crushing resistance with severe reprisals. Many patriot leaders were executed, while survivors, like Francisco de Paula Santander, fled to the eastern plains to regroup.
Bolívar’s Liberation Campaign (1819)
By 1819, momentum shifted. Simón Bolívar, leading a combined Venezuelan and Colombian army, launched a daring campaign to liberate New Granada. In May, Bolívar crossed the Cordillera Oriental during the rainy season, an audacious maneuver that took Spanish forces by surprise.
The campaign culminated in the decisive Battle of Boyacá on August 7, 1819, where Bolívar’s forces defeated the Spanish army, leading to the capture of Bogotá three days later. Royalist officials fled to Cartagena, and New Granada’s independence was effectively secured.
Aftermath and Gran Colombia
Following the liberation of Bogotá, Bolívar envisioned a united republic encompassing Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama, known as Gran Colombia. The Congress of Angostura formally established the republic in 1821, with Bolívar as its first president. By 1824, Spanish control in South America had been largely eliminated after victories in Peru and Ecuador.
Gran Colombia dissolved in 1831 due to internal divisions, but its formation symbolized the aspirations of independence leaders for unity and self-governance. Today, July 20 remains a cornerstone of Colombian identity, commemorating the struggle that set the nation on the path to sovereignty.