Battle of Pichincha
Slopes of Pichincha volcano, above Quito, Ecuador
What happened
General Antonio José de Sucre led the independence army against Spanish royalist forces commanded by Field Marshal Melchor Aymerich. During the wars for independence from Spain, Sucre's army climbed the Pichincha volcano overnight along rain-soaked trails to get above the city of Quito. Fighting broke out at daybreak about 3,500 metres up the mountain. When royalist reinforcements were stopped by the arrival of a British-led battalion, the royalists retreated by midday.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The victory freed Quito and the surrounding provinces from Spanish rule. The region later became the independent country of Ecuador.
What came next
Quito's Spanish forces surrendered the next day, and the region joined Gran Colombia. In 1830 it became the Republic of Ecuador.
Did you know?
A young lieutenant, Abdón Calderón, kept fighting after being wounded four times and became a symbol of the battle.
Timeline
- 23-24 May 1822Sucre's army climbs Pichincha overnight.
- 24 May 1822The independence army defeats the royalists.
- 25 May 1822Quito's Spanish forces surrender.
- 1830Ecuador becomes an independent republic.