Our colleague, Belen de los Santos, joins us for this special segment on the bicentennial of the Battle of Ayacucho. teleSUR
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00:40Welcome.
00:41December 9th, 1824.
00:43The dawn on the pampas of Ayacucho
00:45brought with it the end of an era.
00:48This was a day when the freedom of South America
00:50was defined in a battle that not only confronted armies
00:53but also ideals,
00:55independence against colonial domination.
00:57Today we go back to that decisive day,
01:00reliving the events that led to the victory,
01:03the triumph of unity,
01:04and the end of the Spanish rule in our region.
01:07For this, we connect with our correspondent,
01:09Rafael Infante, in the pampas of Ayacucho,
01:12who relives this historical confrontation.
01:16We are in the early morning hours of December 9th, 1824.
01:22Here, on this vast plain surrounded by mountains,
01:26two armies with opposing visions
01:29of the future of America clashed.
01:32The United Liberator Army,
01:34commanded by Antonio José de Sucre,
01:37despite being outnumbered,
01:39had a high morale thanks to the meticulous planning
01:43and leadership of the young general
01:46and of Bolívar in the distance.
01:49In contrast, the Spanish forces
01:52under the command of Viceroy José de la Serna
01:55and José de Canterac
01:57had the numerical advantage
01:59but faced internal divisions
02:01and the lack of knowledge of the territory.
02:07The numerical difference was evident.
02:09How did Sucre handle this disadvantage?
02:15Sucre's strategy was masterful.
02:18Taking advantage of the high ground and morning fog,
02:21he decided to surprise the enemy
02:24with a coordinated attack.
02:26Who would become the great marshal of Ayacucho
02:29took tactical advantage of the Spanish mistakes.
02:33Sucre's plan focused on dividing
02:36and disarticulating the enemy lines.
02:39He placed his troops in key positions
02:42to maximize the impact of his cavalry attacks,
02:45led by William Miller,
02:47who played a decisive role.
02:49The deployment of the Patriot horsemen
02:52together with the offensive of the infantry division
02:55led by José María Córdoba
02:57marked the beginning of a sweeping onslaught
02:59that took the Spanish army by surprise,
03:02causing irreparable chaos in its ranks.
03:07The battle was intense.
03:08Tell us how the following hours unfolded.
03:14After the cavalry charge,
03:16the Spanish flanks began to collapse.
03:20The battle became chaotic for the Spaniards
03:23with hand-to-hand combat at various points on the field.
03:27Viceroy de la Serna himself was wounded and captured,
03:31a devastating blow to the colonial forces.
03:35By noon, the Spanish contingents
03:38had been completely restrained.
03:41The surviving officers signed a capitulation
03:44in the town of Quinoa,
03:46an act that marked the end of Spanish rule in South America.
03:50The capitulation document guaranteed
03:53not only the surrender of the army,
03:56but also the definitive withdrawal
03:58of the Spanish troops from Peru and Upper Peru.
04:02This was not only a military victory,
04:05but also a political and symbolic one.
04:09The terms of the capitulation,
04:11led by Antonio José de Sucre, were generous,
04:16allowed the Spanish officers to retain their personal freedom
04:20and ensured dignified conditions
04:22for the troops returning to Spain.
04:25This gesture not only avoided unnecessary reprisals,
04:29but also laid the groundwork
04:31for a peaceful transition to independence,
04:34an emblematic act of Bolivarian peace diplomacy.
04:39After the signing, Sucre declared,
04:42I have won, but this victory is not mine,
04:45it belongs to the peoples who today are free,
04:49and Bolívar, from Lima, wrote to the Senate of Colombia,
04:53the Peace of Peru, that our weapons have obtained
04:56by the most glorious victory of the new world
04:59has ended the war of the American continent.
05:06The surrender of Ayacucho marked the end
05:08of three centuries of colonial rule,
05:11but beyond the military aspect this event consolidated
05:14the independence of South America
05:16and laid the foundations for the birth of the new republics.
05:21After the battle, Upper Peru would become Bolivia,
05:25in honor of the liberator.
05:28Moreover, Ayacucho, symbolized the ability
05:31of the peoples of America to unite and defeat a common enemy.
05:36This battle was not only the end of a war,
05:39it was the beginning of an era of freedom for Latin America.
05:44Today, two centuries later,
05:46we continue to honor the sacrifice of those
05:49who fought for the independence of our region.
05:53We conclude this report with the first words
05:56written by Marshal Sucre in his own hand
05:59to the liberator Simón Bolívar that same day.
06:03The battlefield has finally decided
06:05that Peru belongs to the sons of glory.
06:09Six thousand brave men of the liberator army
06:12have destroyed in Ayacucho,
06:14the nine thousand Spanish soldiers
06:16that oppressed this republic.
06:18The last remains of the Spanish power in America
06:21have expired on December 9th in this fortunate field.
06:27Ayacucho, the most glorious victory of the world,
06:30as Bolívar called it,
06:32not only assured the freedom of the Hispanic American peoples
06:35but also became a symbol of unity and resistance.
06:38And now we leave with Bolívar's reflection.
06:41And now we leave with Bolívar's reflection.
06:43The glory is in being great and useful at the same time.
06:47With this remembrance of bravery and sacrifice,
06:50we close our special for the 200th anniversary
06:53of the Battle of Ayacucho.
06:55May this history inspire future generations
06:57to always defend freedom and justice.
07:11May this history inspire future generations
07:13to always defend freedom and justice.
07:15May this history inspire future generations
07:17to always defend freedom and justice.