- The negotiators of the Miraflores conference
- What were the proposals of the Miraflores conference?
- The Punchauca conference
- References
The Miraflores conference was the attempt by forces loyal to King Fernando VII to pacify Peru, in the midst of movements that sought to make it independent from the Kingdom of Spain. The conversations took place between September 30 and October 1, 1820.
It was called the Miraflores conference because the talks and negotiations were held in the area of the city of Lima, the capital of Peru, which bears that name. Currently Miraflores is one of the forty-three districts that are part of the Province of Lima.
José de San Martín, hero of the independence of Peru.
Viceroy Joaquín de la Pezuela, on behalf of the Spanish crown, called José de San Martín, Hero of Peruvian independence, to the Miraflores conference to try to curb his desire for independence.
The negotiators of the Miraflores conference
Both personalities sent their representatives; José de San Martín sent Don Juan García del Río, a native of what is now known as Argentina, and Tomás Guido, a native of New Granada.
Viceroy Joaquín de la Pezuela sent Dionisio Capaz, officer of the Spanish Navy, and the Peruvians José Villar de la Fuente and Hipólito Unanue y Pavón, a notable physician and professor of the time.
What were the proposals of the Miraflores conference?
The proposals were opposite since both pursued different objectives. Viceroy Pezuela wanted to negotiate the continuity of King Fernando VII as the ruler of Peru.
Viceroy Pezuela made a clear proposal: King Fernando VII would give more rights and freedoms to all Spanish and American subjects, but Peru remained a colony under his rule.
On the opposite side was José de San Martín who had just disembarked in Lima with the firm intention of continuing the freedom route that had begun in the Río de la Plata, currently known as Argentina.
José de San Martín believed that it was possible to establish a constitutional monarchy. This meant that there would be a king or prince, but totally independent from the Spanish crown.
Even all the officers of the Spanish army could continue to serve in the new government with the same rank or hierarchy.
The end was the outright denial by José de San Martín of Viceroy Pezuela's proposal, ending the Miraflores conference.
After that failure, Viceroy Pezuela in December 1820, two months later, wrote to the King of Spain to inform him that the independence of Peru was inevitable.
The Punchauca conference
In January 1821, Viceroy Pezuela was removed from his post by a coup. In his place, the Spaniard José de la Serna y Martínez de Hinojosa took over.
De la Serna summons José de San Martín to new peace negotiations, now in a different situation: the battles for independence had begun.
The conversations take place at the Punchauca farm, but nothing concrete results from them. Just an agreement that was not kept and the exchange of prisoners.
This was the last peace negotiation between pro-independence and royalist. Later, de la Serna evacuated Lima and José de San Martín triumphantly entered to declare independence.
References
- The conferences of Miraflores and Punchauca and their influence on the conduct of the War of Independence in Peru: San Martín stage. PONS, MUZZO GUSTAVO. Publisher Instituto Sanmartiniano del Perú.
- Peru's independence. PUENTE CANDAMO, JOSÉ AGUSTÍN. Editorial MAPFRE, 1992.
- The Miraflores and Punchuaca conferences. CASTRO Y VELAZQUES, JUAN. Memories Porteñas. Site: pressreader.com
- San Martín historical chronology I and II. SANMARTINIAN INSTITUTE OF PERU. Site: institutosanmartinianodelperu.blogspot.com
- José de San Martín, Argentine revolutionary. BUSHNELL, DAVID and JAMES METFORD, JOHN CALLAN. Encyclopedia Britannica. Site: britannica.com
- Image N1: José de San Martín, Protector President of Peru. Portrait located in the Castillo Real Felipe Fortress, Lima, Peru.