What was the significance of the Battle of Ayacucho, and what did its surrender entail?
On December 9, 1824, the Battle of Ayacucho took place. The United Liberation Army of Peru, under the command of Antonio José de Sucre, achieved a victory that sealed the emancipatory feat of Peru and the American continent. What was the situation in Spain during the Battle of Ayacucho? The restoration of the liberal constitution of 1812 in 1820, with the fall of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, was part of a liberal interlude that included opposition to sending soldiers to the Americas to uphold the colonial order.
This meant that Viceroy José de la Serna had to defend the colonial order against the independence insurgency without new reinforcements, leaving the Peruvian viceroyalty to rely on its own military forces and resources. Before the battles of Junín and Ayacucho, the royalists had defeated successive expeditions sent south by the Peruvian Congress between 1822 and 1823. The Peruvian Congress saw its army reinforced and reformed with the arrival of Simón Bolívar, declared Supreme Commander by Congress in 1823. It was precisely in Junín, on August 6, 1824, that the forces of royalist general José de Canterac were defeated by Bolívar's army. Canterac immediately began his retreat toward Cusco. Victory at Ayacucho was only four months away.
During the retreat toward Cusco, he was relentlessly harassed by the patriotic advances. This prompted the royalist troops to begin their northward movement in October 1824, almost parallel to the army commanded by the Venezuelan Antonio José de Sucre. After several weeks of skirmishes, Viceroy La Serna's troops confronted the patriotic army led by Sucre on December 9, 1824, in the Ayacucho Plain, bordering the town of Quinua. But this was not just a fight between Spaniards and Creoles: thousands of indigenous people from Pomacocha, Vilcas Huamán, Carhuanca, Huancaray, Andahuaylas, and others contributed to Bolívar's cause, notes Huamangui historian David Quichua. Basilio Auqui, a Morochuco leader, is a symbol of these previous struggles. The patriotic triumph forced the viceroy to sign the capitulation, thus completing Peru's independence. But while we have heard about the "Capitulation of Ayacucho," we often ignore its content.
What is the Capitulation of Ayacucho?
This is the document in which José de Canterac, commanding the royalist army of Peru, accepts the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Peru after being defeated by the United Liberation Army of Peru, led by Antonio José de Sucre. Although the viceroy was José de la Serna, he had already been captured by Sucre's army. The capitulation consists of 18 agreements between the royalists and the liberators, which are summarized below.
Capitulation of Ayacucho:
1. Surrender of the entire territory. The document states that the surrender is made "up to Desaguadero" (Puno), as well as the remnants of the Spanish army: garrisons, horses, and everything belonging to the Spanish government.
2. The Spanish soldiers could return to their country, and the Peruvian government was to subsidize half of their salaries while they remained there, and then pay for their travel. They were prohibited from taking up arms against the Americas again or traveling to any territory still occupied by Spain.
3. Spanish soldiers could remain in Peru and be admitted to the Peruvian army if they so desired.
4. Individuals could not be harassed if they had previously worked or expressed opinions in favor of the king, as long as their conduct did not violate Peruvian law.
5. Any inhabitant of Peru, whether Spanish or American, clergyman, merchant, property owner, or employee, could migrate with their family to another country if they so desired, or choose to reside here, with the government being responsible for guaranteeing this right.
6. As long as their conduct did not violate the cause, the private property of Spaniards outside Peru would be respected, and they could dispose of it for up to three years. The same was also guaranteed for Americans with interests in Spain.
7. A one-year period was granted for interested parties to comply with point 5: any inhabitant of Peru could reside in the republic or migrate to another country.
8. At this point, the Spanish demanded that Peru recognize the debts incurred by the Spanish government in Peru. However, the liberators noted that the Peruvian Congress would decide what was in the best interests of the republic.
9. The Spanish demanded that employees remain in their positions or migrate if they so desired, according to points 2 and 5. The liberators responded that the government's decision on an employee's permanence would be determined by their behavior.
10. The government must guarantee that every Spanish soldier or employee who wishes to leave their job and remain in the country would be respected.
11. The Spanish agree to surrender Callao—Real Felipe and surrounding areas—and its garrison to the unified liberating army. The Peruvian response is that Callao “with all its beings and existence” be placed at the disposal of the liberator Simón Bolívar.
12. The Spanish army would send its commanders, accompanied by the liberating army, to the united provinces to hand over all archives, warehouses, supplies, and troops. The provinces were to be surrendered within fifteen days, and the more distant towns within a month.
13. Canterac requests that Spanish ships be allowed access to supplies in Peruvian ports for up to six months to be able to leave the Pacific. Sucre responds that they cannot generate hostility, must abandon the American seas, and must not call at ports still occupied by the Spanish.
14. In order to leave the Pacific, the Spanish request passports for all their warships and merchant ships. Sucre's response is similar to that of point 13.
15. Amnesty: The commanders and officers imprisoned on both sides in the Battle of Ayacucho and previous actions would be released. The wounded would be assisted at the expense of the Peruvian treasury until they recovered.
16. Generals, commanders, and officers could keep their uniforms and swords, as well as the attendants and servants corresponding to their class, as long as they abided by Peruvian law.
17. Peru should provide passports to Spanish army soldiers who wished to migrate, as well as to their families.
18. Any doubts about the previous 17 articles would be interpreted in favor of the Spanish army, appealing to the good faith of those who signed the pact.
And thus it was that the American flags were flown on the Ayacucho Plain. Its importance to our history was such that Bolívar changed the name of the city of San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga to Ayacucho, in memory of the historic plain.
