The Capitulation of Ayacucho is the treaty by which Peru becomes independent from the Spanish Crown after its war of independence. It was signed after the battle of Ayacucho, in which the Spanish were defeated by troops loyal to Antonio José de Sucre.
This treaty not only meant the independence of Peru, but also the end of Spanish rule in South America. That same day the territory of Chiloé also proclaimed its independence, joining Chile. Thus, after almost three and a half centuries, the Spanish Crown ceased to have any kind of possession in the south of the American continent.
Main features
After the battle of Ayacucho, on December 9, 1824, Antonio José de Sucre -on part of the independentists- and José Canterac -head of the General Staff- sign the treaty that will end up being known as the Capitulation of Ayacucho.
Through this treaty Spain loses Peru, which remains in the hands of the Republicans. The Spanish kingdom will not officially recognize that independence until 1879, when it signs another treaty in Paris.
The battle of Ayacucho, and previously that of Junín, left the Hispanic army very weakened, a fact aggravated by the internal divisions caused by the struggles between absolutists and liberals.
Furthermore, Viceroy La Serna had been wounded and taken prisoner. That is the reason why the capitulation was signed by Canterac, which resulted in several Spanish officials not recognizing the surrender and independence.
The last bastion in their hands was the castle of Real Felipe, which fell on January 8, 1826.
Most important clauses of the treaty
Undoubtedly the most important clause among those signed that day is the first, which established the passage of the territory into the hands of the liberators. It was reflected in the following way:
"The territory garrisoned by the Spanish troops in Peru will be handed over to the arms of the liberating army up to the Desaguadero, with the parks, arsenal and all the existing military warehouses."
It also proclaimed that all the garrisons, as well as the belongings kept by the defeated army, also became part of the new country.
Other points of the agreement
Other important aspects that were among the points of the treaty were those related to the economy and the status that the Spanish would maintain in Peru after independence.
In this second aspect, the Capitulation promised that Peru would pay the repatriation to all the Spanish military after the war.
On the other hand, those who wanted to join the new army could do so while retaining their rank; civilians who so wished would be considered Peruvian citizens.
On the economic issue, historians affirm that the Capitulation was very generous to the defeated for various reasons.
One of these is the already mentioned payment of the trip to the military who would like to return to Europe. In addition, an economic debt with Spain was recognized for its expenses during the war.
It is worth noting that not everything signed in this agreement was fully complied with.
References
- Peruvian History. Capitulation of Ayacucho. Obtained from historiaperuana.pe
- Inca newspaper. The Capitulation of Ayacucho. Obtained from es.diarioinca.com
- The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Battle of Ayacucho. Retrieved from britannica.com
- Dunnel, Tony. The Wars Before Peruvian Independence. Retrieved from tripsavvy.com
- MIKE DRECKSCHMIDT. Peru's war of independence: The battle of Junin and Ayacucho. Obtained from livinginperu.com