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User:Canaan9801/Declaración de Independencia del Perú

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Peruvian Declaration of Independence
Media typeDeclaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence of Perú (in Spanish: La Declaración de Independencia del Perú) is the document through which Peru declared its independence from the Spanish Crown. Drafted by Manuel Pérez de Tudela of Arrica, it was signed on July 15, 1821 by notable residents of Ciudad de los Reyes, modern day Lima. The ceremony of the Proclamation of Independence took place on July 28, 1821 in the Plaza Mayor de Lima and in other plazas in the capital.

Antecedeents edit

The declaration and proclamation of Peruvian Independence was one of the most momentous events of the history of the Americas, since the liberation of Peru was very important for the security of the surrounding nations, as Peru was the center of Spanish power in South America. It was for this reason that the United Liberating Army of Peru, commanded by General José de San Martín, arrived in Peru from Chile.[1] Once in Peruvian territory they received support from the populace, especially in the north, where a massive jurisdiction, the Intendancy of Trujillo, joined the fight for independence without violence, under the leadership of the Marquis of Torre Tagle. After the city of Trujillo joined the movement, the cities of Piura, Cajamarca, Chachapoyas, Jaén and Maynas also declared independence. San Martín later recognized that if it had not been for the major support of the north of Peru, it would have been necessary for him to return to Chile to reorganize his forces, since they were inferior to those of the Viceroy.

San Martín established his headquarters in Huaura, to the north of Lima. It was in Huaura where the independence of Peru was proclaimed for the first time, in November of 1820. Lima, the colonial capital, was threatened by the advancing liberating army and the raids by "montaneras patriotas". At the start of July 1821, Lima faced a major scarcity of food due to the attacks by the montaneras patriotas, that cut its lines of communication to the outside world. The royalist troops did not at the time have resources, and the patriots had already gained important victories in the interior of the country, and much of the population desired the presence of the liberators.

On July 5, 1821, the Viceroy of Peru José de la Serna announced to the residents of Lima that he was abandoning the city, designating the city of Callao as a refuge for those who felt insecure in the capital. Many Spanish and criollo residents moved to that port, seeking protection in the Real Felipe Fortress, while the viceroy retreated with his forces towards the central mountain range, leaving behind only one garrison in the Fortress, led by José de la Mar. The viceroy himself, by way of a card, invited San Martín to enter into Lima before the Indian guerrillas did, as he feared that they would commit abuses within the city.

On July 9, the first liberating troops entered Lima. On the night of July 12, General San Martín entered the city and two days later the rest of the Liberating Army. That same day, July 14, San Martín, already installed in the Palace of the Viceroys, invited the city government to declar independence. The council, the second established by elections during the Viceregal era, had been elected on December 7, 1820 according to the rules of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 that reinstalled Ferndinand VII on the throne.

Meeting of the Open Council edit

 
Declaration of Independence of Peru.

On July 15, 1821, complying with San Martín's request, the Mayor Count of San Isidro convened the residents of Lima in an open council meeting. However, not all residents were summoned, only the permanent councillors, Castillian nobility, members of military orders, the church council, and members of distinguished families. The rest of the population was totally excluded, including the common people.

Drafting edit

With the council gathered, the people of Lima crowded the outside of the building, shouting words of support for the cause of independence. In the middle of this noise, the council participants, which were mostly old representatives of colonialism, hurried themselves to aprove the Declaration of Independence, which was drafted by the lawyer Manuel Pérez de Tudela, who would later be Miniter of Foreign Relations for the new nation.

Signing edit

The Declaration was signed by the majority of the members of the Council (the mayor voted first, then 10 councillors and 2 city attorneys), the secular clergy of Lima and other distinguished members of Liman society. In total 339 Liman men signed the Declaration.[2]

On the first page appear the signatures of 60 people. The document would later be signed by 3,504 people from various social classes. According to the historian Timothy Anna, the large majority signed out of fear of the occupying troops. Others signed out of an expectation of rewards or future positions. There were also people of elevated patriotic spirit. It is known that there were Spaniards and criollos that hid in order to not sign the Declaration, fearful of the Viceroy's reprisals if he retook Lima Regarding the fall of the Spanish administration in Peru, Anna writes: "In addition, two weeks after the Declaration of Independence, 43 of the 64 members of the Consulate fled. Only 16 of the members of the Consulate signed the Declaration." He also points out that "many prominent people signed the Declaration of Independence and later fled the country..." in addition, of those that signed the Declaration of Independence, many returned to the royalist side. [3]

Proclamation of Peruvian Independence edit

 
Proclamation of Peruvian independence by General José de San Martín.

On July 28, 1821, following the viceregal protocols, José de San Martín left from the Palace of Lima at 10 a.m. along with a numerous horseback entourage. At the front, it was composed of the authorities of the University of San Marcos in academic dress, followed by the higher-up members of the clergy and the priors of the convents, then the military chiefs of the Army of the Andes and, finally, the Castillian nobility and members of orders of chivalry, accompanied by judges of the Real Audiencia and the permanent councillors of the City Council. Before this entourage was San Martín, flanked by the Count of San Isidro to the left and the Marquis of Montemira to the right, who as the flagbearer carried the new flag designed by San Martín. Behind them was the Count of la Vega del Ren, the high chiefs of the Army, and a squadron of hussars. The Halberdiers of the Royal Guard surrounded the march.

Upon arriving to the small stage set up in the Plaza Mayor of Lima, facing a crowd of more than 16,000 people, San Martín received the flag from the Marquis of Montemira and proclaimed:

"Peru is from this moment free and independent by the general will of the peopl and by the justice of their cause which God defends.

Long live the Motherland!

Long live Liberty!

'Long live independence!

— José de San Martín, July 28, 1821

The same ceremony was recreated in the plaza of La Merced and then in front of the Convento de los Descalzos. After the ceremonies of proclamation, the Liman people sung the patriotic song "La chicha".[4]

Upon the end of the proclamations, San Martín and the experts returned to the Palace of the Viceroys, where they received Lord Cochrane, who had just arrived in Callao. In the afternoon, they followed the celebrations with a running of the bulls in Plaza de Acho and a reception in the Palacio Municipal that night.

Basil Hall, commenting on the ceremony stated the following:

“Its words were collected and repeated by the multitude that filled the plaza and the adjacent streets, while all the bells rang and the artillery made salutes between shouts of acclaim never before heard in Lima.”

— Basil Hall

Fragments of the card that Tomás Guido, friend of San Martín, send to his wife regarding the ceremonies of July 28, 1821:

"...The 28th of the past month, the Independence of Peru was declared in this capital. I have not seen in America an event as dazzling or numerous. The shouts of acclaim were a continuous echo from all the populace.... I was one of those that showed off the standard of independent Peru... nothing could be a more flattering prize for me than to see the standard of liberty hoisted in the center of the most important city of this part of America, copleting the object of all our work on the campaign...). In that same night we rested and danced in the cabildo. (...). The next night a dance took place in the General's palace, where all the ladies attended; this dance would require its own description for which I don't have time. The composure with which they presented themselves was elegant...I danced my country dance with a woman and left with my friends to study the effects of the policies of the old administration."[5]

— Tómas Guido

Both the signing of the Declaration and the proclamation of Independence were mere formalities. The royalist forces continued to dominate the largest, most populated, and richest regions of the country: the central mountain range and all of the Peruvian South, establishing Cuzco as the new viceregal capital. In fact, Lima itself would be reoccupied by royalist troops eventually. It was only in 1824 when Spanish domination over Peru was terminated.

Signers of the Declaration edit

 
The Signing of the Declaration of Independecne of Peru. In this recreation, Hipólito Unanue, José de la Riva Agüero and Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza are represented.

The signers of the first page of the Declaration were the following:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Independencia del Perú" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2011.
  2. ^ Firmantes del Acta
  3. ^ El Acta de la Independencia del Perú (Amautacuna)
  4. ^ Merino, Denis (28 July 2016). "El Himno Nacional fue cambiado por cuestiones políticas". Diario UNO (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Independencia".
  6. ^ http://www4.congreso.gob.pe/museo/mensajes/a-Mensaje-1821-1.pdf Archived 2017-09-09 at the Wayback Machine . Fue Regidor del Cabildo, Prefecto del Departamento de Lima en los años de 1842, 1844,y 1853 y Consejero de Estado y Director de la Casa Nacional de la Moneda. Cf. EGUIGUREN ESCUDERO, Luis Antonio (1959) Hojas para la Historia de la Emancipación del Perú Tomo I. Lima:T.Scheuch p.III
Bibliography
  • Roel Pineda, Virgilio: Conatos, levantamientos, campañas e ideología de la independencia. Incluida en Historia del Perú. Perú Republicano. Tomo VII. Cuarta edición. Lima, Editorial Mejía Baca, 1982. ISBN 84-499-1611-9
  • Quiroz Chueca, Francisco: De la colonia a la república independiente. Incluido en Historia del Perú. Lima, Lexus Editores, 2000. ISBN 9972-625-35-4

External Links edit

[[Category:1821 in politics]] [[Category:Declarations of independence]] [[Category:1821 in Peru]] [[Category:Peruvian War of Independence]]

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