Why is August 7 a Colombia Holiday? Battle of Boyacá Day History and Significance

Every year, August 7 is a Colombian holiday.

That’s because it is Battle of Boyacá Day.

The Battle of Boyacá celebration commemorates a decisive patriot victory over Spanish and royalist forces on August 7, 1819, during Colombia’s war for independence. It’s the most important battle of the Colombian independence wars and effectively made most of present day Colombia independent.

What happened on August 7, 1819, and why was the Battle of Boyacá significant so important for Colombia’s independence?

Read on to learn all about the history of the Battle of Boyacá and the importance of the August 7 Colombia holiday.

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Battle of Boyacá Day History – Contents

• Why was the Battle of Boyacá so important?
• History of the Battle of Boyacá
  • Historical Background to the Boyacá battle
  • What happened on August 7
  • Impact of the Victory at Boyacá
• How is the Battle of Boyacá celebrated in Colombia today?

Why Was the Battle of Boyacá So Important?

The Battle of Boyacá was so important because it effectively made most of modern day Colombia independent. The decisive victory of an army led by Simón Bolívar over royalist forces led to the colonial government fleeing the capital of Bogotá, paving the way for the creation of an independent government. The victory was the culmination of a daring campaign that broke what had become a deadlock in the war.

While royalist held strongholds and enclaves remained, including in Cartagena, the outcome of the Battle of Boyacá gave de facto independence to the vast majority of Colombia.

I’ll trace the actual events of what happened on August 7, 1819 during the Battle of Boyacá in more detail below, but we first need to look at a bit of background to help us understand the broader movement for independence and just why this victory was do decisive and significant.

Historical Background to the Battle of Boyacá

There’s no two ways around this, Colombia’s independence was a bit messy.

It does not fit into an easy, we wanted independence, declared it, then worked together to fight for it and get it. Actually, almost no independence movement fits into that easy narrative if we really examine them with a critical historians eye, but that’s a much larger discussion for another place.

To help us understand the history of the Battle of Boyacá, let’s trace the roots of Colombia’s independence movement, or really movements, the initial first wave of independence, and the Spanish reconquest that followed, before looking at what happened in this battle that led to definitive independence.

The former history major in me has a tough time doing this briefly, so if you have some background knowledge on Colombian independence and just want to know what happened on August 7 in the Battle of Boyacá, scroll down to the section.

Roots of the Independence Movement

Present day Colombia was part of the Spanish colony of New Granada, which at one point included most of present day Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela.

Some of those areas were later made into semi-autonomous administrative areas, like the Captaincy General of Venezuela, but were at least technically under the umbrella of authority of the Vice Roy at Bogotá (technically Santa Fé de Bogtoá at the time and often just called Santa Fé).

Like much of the rest of the American colonies, by the closing decades of the 1700s, the ideas of the Enlightenment had reached New Granada. The influence of these ideas and events in what became the United States and Haiti had led to some considering independence here as well.

The largest grievances were access to political power and resistance to central authority from Spain, the latter of which went hand in hand with desire for freer trade and resentment over taxes. An especially key issue was resentment by criollo elites towards their peninsular counterparts.

Criollos were pure blood (read white) Spanish born in the colonies, while peninsulares were born in Spain. By the late colonial era, most of the most well off landowners, merchants, lawyers, and other elite were criollos. Yet, the highest rungs of colonial power were generally reserved for peninsulares.

It shouldn’t be surprising then that criollos became the leaders of the independence movement, although there was a large degree of non-elite participation and support for the independence forces. You can read more about these causes of independence in this article on the background to Cartagena’s declaration of independence.

Oftentimes the 1781 Comunero Revolt, a rebellion over taxes in the Santander province, is seen as an important precursor to independence, but there’s debate amongst historians if it should be seen as such or not.

What’s not a matter of debate is how events in Spain set in motion events that led to independence in Colombia and most of the rest of Spanish America.

How Napoleon Was Responsible for Colombian Independence

The main event that caused some nascent desires for independence to move forward was Napoleon’s invasion of Spain in 1808. He forced the Spanish king, Ferdinand VII (Fernando in Spanish) to abdicate and installed his brother on the throne.

This prompted many cities and town in Spain as well as the colonies to set up local governing juntas that claimed to be ruling in the name of Fernando. There were attempts to unify these under a sort of supreme junta, almost like a government in semi-exile in the city of Cadíz, but many in the colonies felt they were underrepresented.

This prompted the first moves towards a more complete break with Spain. Juntas in the Americas effectively began to declare themselves autonomous, in some cases professing continued allegiance to Fernando, in others full independence.

This includes the declaration on July 20, 1810, in Santa Fé de Bogotá, celebrated as Colombian Independence Day today. While still declaring allegiance to Fernando, it is considered an important step towards more complete independence. You can read more about the events leading up to the declaration, including how a broken vase helped provoke it, in this article on Colombian Independence Day.

Further steps followed with Mompox’s declaration of full independence in August of 1810, and Cartagena’s declaration of full independence in November 1811, where it set up the first truly functioning independent state, known as the Free State of Cartagena. You can read more about Cartagena’s declaration here.

Patría Boba: Failure of these First Moves for Independence

So, here’s where we get to the messy part.

There are a number of things in play here. First, these declarations were largely local movements in their local contexts and not really true national or unified efforts. Secondly, it’s important to keep in mind that there was a large degree of local competition and rivalry between different cities and provinces.

For examples, Mompox’s declaration was motivated at least in part to throw off the control from Cartagena, the provincial capital. Cartagena, reconquered it a few months later in January 1811, but then declared itself independent later that year, with Mompox still under its economic and political control, of course.

This illustrates in part why these first moves for independence were short lived.

Conflict and rivalry, particularly between those who wanted a centralized government based in Bogotá and those who wanted a federal system with the provinces having considerable control over their own affairs, caused disunity in the years after 1810, with a good bit of infighting.

For a good example, consider that the Battle of Boyacá was not the first time Simón Bolívar conquered Bogotá. He had done so several years earlier to bring it under the control of the federalist faction.

It’s worth pointing out that many people were also still loyal to the Spanish crown. The Caribbean coast north of Cartagena as well as the area around Pasto near the border with Ecuador remained in royalist hands. In fact, Cartagena and Santa Marta fought what amounted to a low intensity war between them for a number of years.

This period is usually referred to today by Colombians as the Patría Boba, or “Foolish Fatherland” to capture the failure to unify that ultimately led to the Spanish reconquering New Granada and delaying independence until after the events of the Boyacá battle years later.

Spanish Reconquest and Patriot Resurgence

By 1814, Napoleon had been defeated and Fernando restored as king in Spain. In addition to rejecting liberal reforms made by the government in exile, he also sought to squash the independence movements in the Americas.

He sent General Pablo Morillo, who had been one of the heroes in the war against Napoleon to do just that. In yet another example of the Patria Boba in action, the governor of Cartagena refused to give arms and men to Bolívar to contribute to a united front against Morillo. Bolívar fled into exile in the Caribbean rather than attempt to fight what he knew would be a losing battle.

Morillo’s forces arrived on the Venezuelan coast in April 1815. They reached Cartagena a few months later. Cartagena suffered mass starvation during a siege of over 100 days, and the rest of the country fell back into Spanish hands shortly thereafter with Morillo entering Bogotá on May 6, 1816.

The first attempt at independence was unsuccessful and the consequences were dire. Many independence leaders were executed, imprisoned, or sent into exile. The lucky ones only had their lands seized.

*See also:  The Siege and Reconquest of Cartagena and Cartagena’s 9 Martyrs

These brutalities helped harden patriot desires for independence and guerilla forces continued to fight against the Spanish and royalist forces.

Particularly in the llanos, the lowland plains of Eastern Colombia and Western Venezuela, guerrilla forces remained active. The geography played to their advantage, as the area flooded for half the year and horses from the highlands struggled to eat the grass that grew there, making it harder for royalist forces to root them out.

In fact, Simón Bolívar had returned from exile and been leading guerrilla resistance from the area around the Orinoco River in southern Venezuela since 1817.

While these resistance forces were successful in carving out a small liberated zone, Bolívar’s goal was always to push the Spanish out of his native Venezuela entirely. However, he knew the Spanish and royalist forces would be too difficult to defeat entrenched in Caracas and the other well defended cities of the coast.

So, he hatched a daring plan to strike at the heart of New Granada and free Bogotá and modern Colombia first before freeing his homeland.

*Want to learn more about Bolívar? Check out this biography.

History of the Battle of Boyacá

Now lets turn to the actual events leading up to and during the Battle of Boyacá itself on August 7, 1819. First, let’s look at Bolívar’s so called Liberation Campaign (or Campaña Liberatadora) and why it was such a bold and risky plan.

The Campaña Liberatadora

Fearing he was engaged in what was nothing more than a futile war of attrition in Venezuela, Bolívar sought to break the Spanish by surprising them in the Andes.

His plan amounted to marching across the the llanos of southern Venezuela and Eastern Colombia and up into the mountain highlands of the foothills of the Andes. There he hoped to catch the Spanish by surprise where they were less fortified and seize Bogotá and use it as a base to liberate the rest of New Granada and then proceed to Venezuela. There’s a good summary of the campaign here.

Why was Bolívar’s plan to march his army across the Andes daring?

There are several reasons why Bolívar’s plan to march his army across the Andes was so daring.

First, he chose to cross the plains during the rainy season, when much of the area would be flooded, putting his forces at increased risk of tropical diseases and making it harder to navigate. Secondly, transitioning from the hot, wet, humid plains, into the Andes would also be perilous due to the cold in the mountains. Furthermore, horses from the Andes could not survive on grass in the plains, and horses from the plains struggled in the cold of the Andes.

Bolívar’s march through the flooded plains up and over the cold mountains is considered a brilliant military campaign today. It is often compared to Napoleon’s march over the Alps.

However, at the time the route was considered all but impossible.

Still Bolívar set set this plan in motion, beginning the march across the llanos in May 1819. By the way, if you like seeing wildlife, there’s no better place for it in Colombia than the llanos. You can read about our experience doing a wildlife safari in los llanos here, including why this was a bit of a perilous journey for me too.

It’s true that Bolívar’s plan led to many men and horses falling ill and dying. On the other hand, the floods, while they made the going tough, also helped hide his movements from the Spanish who never believed he would be on the move at that time of year.

He succeeded in crossing the llanos with the Spanish none the wiser, and began his march into the Andes. There, his forces were ill equipped for the cold and many more fell ill and died.

However, he succeeded in crossing the mountains at the Parámo de Pisba pass by July 5, setting the stage for the decisive showdown with royalist forces at the Battle of Boyacá just over a month later.

Preparing for the Showdown at Boyacá

Bolívar quickly restocked his forces and supplies from the local population and laid his eyes on Bogotá.

The Spanish were also now aware of his presence and began sending forces to reinforce the city’s defenses.  Bolívar intercepted a Spanish force at the Battle of Vargas Swamp on July 25, and then took the city of Tunja on August 5.

The Spanish and royalist forces now hurried to block Bolívar’s path to Bogotá.

What Happened on August 7, 1819, at the Battle of Boyacá?

The fastest route for the Spanish forces back to Bogotá was to cross the bridge of Boyacá. Bolívar’s forces moved to intercept them, knowing they had a better chance to score a decisive victory if they could catch them out in the open on the field and prevent a siege.

They were successful in doing so at the Bridge of Boyacá, and the battle that took place is what is celebrated as the Battle of Boyacá Day today.

Both forces were split into a vanguard and rearguard. Around 2 pm, the two vanguards spotted each other. The Spanish, believing they were facing a small reconnaissance force, prepared to attack across the bridge.

Forces under Francisco Paula Santander succeeded in halting this attack. Meanwhile, forces under Bolívar successfully attacked and routed the Spanish rearguard forces, who had not yet reached the bridge. This made it impossible for them to reinforce the Spanish forces engaged with Santander.

A contingent of Santander’s troops also succeeded in fording the river and attacking the Spanish vanguard forces from the rear, essentially surrounding them.

After several hours of fighting, the majority of the royalist forces ( approximately 1,600 of around 2,700) surrendered to Bolívar.

With the collapse of the royalist army, the path to Bogotá was now open.

Note, while the wooden bridge that was there at the time is long gone to history, you can visit the site of the Battle of Boyacá on the road from Bogotá to Tunja today. There is a neat stone bridge monument there and a number of historical statues and monuments.

You can learn more about visiting in this write up on our visit to the Bridge of Boyacá.

Consequences of the Battle of Boyacá

After the battle, the Spanish viceroy fled Bogotá for the coastal stronghold of Cartagena.

Three days after the Battle of Boyacá, on August 10, 1819, Bolívar’s forces entered Bogotá unopposed. In his haste, the viceroy had even left behind the majority of the funds from the treasury.

With Bogotá as a base, Bolívar and the patriot forces could now go about liberating the rest of New Granada and his native Venezuela.

The Battle of Boyacá is considered the most important victory in the independence of Colombia.

While Pasto remained a royalist stronghold for years, and the strongly fortified Cartagena and the Caribbean coast would stay in royalist hands until 1821, most of present day Colombia was now under de facto patriot control.

Bolívar also was able to use Bogotá as a base to help liberate Cartagena, then Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolívia. 

*See also: Cartagena’s Reliberation

The Republic of Colombia (usually called Gran Colombia today to distinguish it from the modern Colombia) was officially declared by the Congress of Angostura in December 1819, and the Congress of Cucutá adopted a formal constitution in 1821 after the liberation of Cartagena and Caracas.

Therefore, the Battle of Boyacá was not only the decisive moment in the independence of Colombia but arguably practically all of northern South America.

Of course, long term the union of Gran Colombia did not last, as issues over centralism and federalism arose once again, and the recently independent state dissolved by 1831. The same conflict played a large role in several civil wars in Colombia in the late 1800s as well and a case could be made played at least a contributing factor in Colombia’s 20th century conflict.

However, the Battle of Boyacá permanently ended Spanish rule.

How is the Battle of Boyacá Celebrated in Colombia today?

First, every August 7 in Colombia is a holiday. Unlike many Colombian holidays, the Battle of Boyacá celebration is always on the exact date of August 7, not the following Monday. Schools, banks, and some businesses will all be closed.

It’s very common to see people displaying their Colombian flags on the August 7th holiday. Some cities have parades. Presidents are also inaugurated on August 7 in Colombia every 4 years as part of the Battle of Boyacá celebration too inauguration, a neat homage.

There you have it, a complete history of the Battle of Boyacá and why August 7 is a holiday in Colombia. I hope you enjoyed it and learned something!

Cheers and Happy Exploring!

Want to learn more about the Battle of Boyacá and Colombian history?

Check out the following books:

• Learn more about Bolívar in this biography.
• This general history of Colombia titled Colombia: Fragmented Land, Divided Society is a great overview of Colombia’s history.
• For another great overview, see Colombia: A Nation in Spite of Itself.
• Ernesto Bassi’s An Aqueos Territory is an interesting look at the independence era and the interconnectedness of the Caribbean at the time.
• No Limits to their Sway is an incredibly interesting look at Cartagena’s independence era naval privateers and one of the best books on this era about Cartagena.
• Finally, Liberty and Equality in Caribbean Colombia 1770-1835 is an enlightening ethnographic look at society in the Caribbean region in the era before and after independence.