Colombia Independence Day

Nobody knew exactly what would happen on July 20, 1810, but one could sense an atmosphere that something would happen. It was a Friday, market day and all the people walking the streets of Santa Fe.
History tells us that everything began with a vase.

However, it is now clear that what happened this day was not a spontaneous event and those that had characterized colonial politics. It was the result of several circumstances that happened and ended in a great rebellion of the people.

The Creoles had substantive reasons, the July 20became the straw that overflowed the glass. At the meetings held between 1808 and 1810, although the natives were invited, the representation was minimal, consisting of 36 Spaniards, there were 9 Americans. This made the natives think for the first time the possibility to abide by a nation-state.

Another event was the arrest on August 10, 1809, the president of the Audiencia of Quito, Count Ruiz de Castilla and his ministers were replaced by the supreme governing board composed of the Creole elite of Quito. Another cause was the riots of Cartagena from May 22, 1810 and Relief on July 9 of that year.

Consequently Council was established consisting of notable civil authorities and intellectuals Creoles. The main representatives of the oligarchy that made the meeting were: José Miguel Pey, Camilo Torres, Gomez Acevedo, Joaquin Camacho, Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Antonio Morales, among others.

They began to perform successive meetings in members' homes and then in the Astronomical Observatory, whose director was Francisco Jose de Caldas. These meetings began to think that political tactics was limited and transient cause a public nuisance and take advantage to take the Spanish power.

The board proposed to promote a notable incident with the Spanish, to create a conflict to give out to potential unrest that existed in Santa Fe against the Spanish audience. The important thing was to get the Viceroy, under pressure from the public disturbance, constituted the same day the Supreme Council of Government, chaired by Mr. Amar and composed of Aldermen of the City Council of Santa Fe.

Don Antonio Morales said the incident was provoked with the peninsular merchant José González Llorente and offered "happy" to intervene in the altercation. Notable natives accepted the proposal and decided to execute the project on Friday, July 20, when the Square would be filled with people from all walks of life, as the usual market days.
To avoid suspicion of provocation was agreed that Don Luis Rubio was the appointed day to shop Llorente to borrow a vase or any kind of adornment that will serve to decorate the banquet table Villavicencio announced. In the case of a refusal, the Morales brothers proceed to attack the Spanish.

To ensure the success of the plan, if Llorente delivered the vase or refused courteously, it was agreed that Don Francisco José de Caldas happen at the same time in front of the store and greeted Llorente, so what chance would give Morales to reprimand him for speaking to a "escutcheon" enemy of the Americans and thereby beginning the incident.