History of the Americas (2) Conjectures of the meeting between Bolívar and Saint-Martin

Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador, a small country in the northwest corner of South America, is a beautiful coastal city on the Pacific coast. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the majestic and lush Santa Ana and Santa Carmen Mountains. In the center of the city, the Century Square stands the majestic Liberation Monument, a symbol of South American independence and admired by the world. In the city's municipal hall, there is a sculpture that is even more striking. The sculpture depicts two heroes of the South American Revolutionary War, Simon Bolívar (1783-1830) and Jose San Martín (1778-1850), clasped hands together. The sculpture stands out not only because it was a great historic meeting between the heroes of Bolívar and Saint-Martin in the Latin American War of Independence, but also because it became a major historical mystery in the history of the Latin American War of Independence.

Born on July 24, 1783, to a white aristocratic family in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, Bolívar traveled to Europe as a young man and was influenced by the revolutionary ideas of the French bourgeoisie. After returning to China in February 1807, he actively fought against Spanish colonial rule. In 1810, he participated in and led the Venezuelan War of Independence, participating in the creation of the Republic of Venezuela. He was defeated by Spanish colonial forces on 10 July 1814 and went into exile in Jamaica. In 1816, Bolívar returned to Venezuela from Haiti and on May 23 announced reforms such as freeing slaves and promising fighters a share of land after the victory of the revolution. Subsequently, he led his army to defeat the Spanish army several times in Venezuela and New Grenada, and established the Third Republic of Venezuela in early 1819 as president. In December 1819, Venezuela united with Nueva Granada to establish the Republic of Gran Colombia, with Bolívar as President. In 1824 he led the liberation of all of Peru. On 25 January 1825, Peru became independent and established the Republic of Bolivia (named after bolivar's surname). On January 23, 1826, Spanish colonial forces at the port of Callao, Peru, surrendered to Bolívar, and Spanish colonial rule in Latin America was overthrown. In May 1830 Gran Colombia fell into a state of division, Bolívar resigned, and on December 17 died of depression. Because of his great contribution, the people of South America honored him as "the liberator of South America". The poet José Martí once wrote that "from generation to generation, as long as Latin America exists for a day, the echo of the name of Bolívar will be passed down in the hearts of the most heroic and true people among us."

San Martín was born in 1778 to a family of Spanish colonial officials in the province of Misiones, Viceroyalty of La Plata, Argentina. His father was an army officer and a former deputy governor of the colonial government. In 1786, at the age of 8, Saint-Martin moved to Spain with his parents and studied at the Malian Military School. He served in the Spanish army from 1789 for twenty-two years. From 1808 to 1811 he participated in the Spanish War of Liberation against Napoleon's invasion. Influenced by the ideas of the American independence movement, in early 1812 he resolutely gave up a comfortable life and a splendid future in Spain, returned to Argentina, and participated in the struggle against Spanish colonial rule. Upon his return, he first formed and trained a revolutionary army, and at the end of 1813 he was commander-in-chief of the North Route Army of the Union of La Plata (Argentina) Patriotic Army. The independence of Argentina was declared in 1816. From 1817 to 1818, Saint-Martin led his army across the Andes into Chile. In 1818, together with the Chilean military and civilians, they defeated the local Spanish colonial forces at Chacabuco and Maip, and Chile declared its independence. In 1820, San Martin led an army into Peru, and on July 12 of the following year, March into Lima, and Peru declared its independence. In July 1822, Saint-Martin and Bolívar met in Guayaquil and subsequently retired. After 1824, he lived in France until his death. For his heroic deeds, in Peru, San Martin was awarded the title of "Protector of the Nation". On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth, he was revered by Argentina, Peru and Chile as the "Father of the Fatherland".

These two heroes, though, fought for a common goal. But they had never met before the Guayaquil meeting. In 1822, the Latin American War of Independence entered a crucial phase. In that year, Bolívar led an army to liberate the province of Quito (present-day Ecuador), and the Peruvian "protector" Saint-Martin went to Guayaquil to meet with him, and on July 26, the hands of the two heroes were clasped tightly. On July 27, the two met in secret, and then the two attended a grand banquet together. During the meal, Bolívar toasted To St. Martin and said, "Toast to two of the greatest men of South America, General St. Martin and me!" Puzzlingly, in the early morning of July 28, San Martin left and suddenly returned to Peru. Subsequently, in September, he gave a resignation speech and returned to his hometown of Argentina. In 1824, he emigrated to France and spent the rest of his life.

What was the content of the talks between Saint-Martin and Bolivar? Why didn't Saint-Martin say goodbye? Since no detailed records were left at the time, this major event was overshadowed with a veil of mystery. One can only try to unravel this historical mystery through speculation.

From Saint-Martin's letters to Bolívar and Saint-Martin's own recollections, the two leaders of the South American War of Independence may have discussed certain issues related to how to win the final victory in the War of Independence. The first is how the two armies worked together to drive the remnants of Spanish colonial power out of South America. In response, Saint Martin hoped that Bolívar would send troops to Peru to fight alongside his own army, and proposed that Bolivar be appointed as the commander-in-chief to command the whole army, while he would only serve as an assistant. Bolívar was clearly not interested in this, and shirked that he was too weak to be qualified for the post of commander-in-chief. It was also stated that the Colombian Government would not approve itself to do so, and that even if it were to travel to Peru, it would only be able to bring three battalions of troops of about one thousand men. Second, the two men discussed whether to adopt a republican or constitutional monarchy in independent South America, and whether Guayaquil should belong to Colombia or Peru. Due to the large differences between the two sides, they finally broke up unhappily.

Some speculate that saint-Martin may have been disappointed with Bolívar and the meeting, while others believed that Saint-Martin was a man of high morals who feared that differences with Bolívar would cause disputes between the two sides and adversely affect the final victory in the war of independence in South America. This is reflected in some of Saint-Martin's letters, in which he wrote that "Peru cannot accommodate both Bolívar and I", "For the victory of the Americas, let them (Bolívar) come in", "Every drop of blood from the Americas as a result of our discord will make me miserable; every drop of blood from the Americas because of our unhappiness pierces my atrium".

Although, at the meeting in Guayaquil, Saint-Martin and Bolívar broke up unhappily, the outcome of the South American War of Independence was gratifying. After the meeting, Bolívar led an army to liberate all of Peru in 1824. In 1826, Spanish colonial rule in South America was finally dismantled. The Latin American War of Independence was the final victory.