So Much Independence

Last week I posted about Independence Day in Colombia. Today, well, it's Independence Day. Again. At least for me.

Today's Google Doodle (if you are in Peru, which I am.)

You see, we flew from Medellín, Colombia to Lima, Peru this past weekend. And today, eight days after Colombia's Independence Day is Peru's Independence Day.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why Independence Day in any country is the day that it is? I have. Like, the United States just celebrated 250 years. But that's only correct from one way of looking at independence. It was 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But the USA was still under British rule. It would take a couple more years to decisively win the war and be truly independent.

So what counts as independence? In Colombia, they chose July 20 because of a flowerpot. Okay, the flowerpot is more an excuse. What happened is that in 1810, lots of the people of the region were unhappy with Spain. Spain had supported the Americans in the American revolution, but denied any idea of independence for its own new world colonies. The criollos were white people, those of Spanish heritage, who were born in the New World. They didn't have the same rights as people born in Spain. They were the revolutionaries, not the native South Americans who had even less freedom or consideration from the government.

The criollos went to a well-known merchant in Bogotá named José González Llorente and asked to borrow a decorative flowerpot. They expected him to refuse. They expected him to be indignant. They expected him to be insulting. And he did not disappoint. The argument that followed was heated and apparently, incendiary. This had been the criollos plan all along. They used this as the spark to ignite the indignation of criollos throughout Bogotá into action. And it worked. It led to a revolt that same day, July 20, 1810, which was the start of what would be the successful revolution.

You know, one independence day is hardly enough though. In Colombia they celebrate two of them, July 20 for the flowerpot incident and August 7. This one commemorates their victory over Spain nine years after the flowerpot incident, on August 7, 1819.

Peru's Independence Day, celebrated on July 28, is more similar to that of the United States. It is a day that independence was declared, even though it hadn't yet been won. A military leader named José de San Martín had brought a liberation army up from Chile. He and his troops made it to Lima and on July 28, 1821 he stood in the Plaza Mayor and declared that Peru was now independent of Spain. After that, there followed three and a half more years of fighting. And to really pull it off, San Martín needed help from the armies of Simón Bólivar and Antonio José de Sucre. But they did eventually win.

That's the Plaza Mayor and the statue of the man on the horse is San Martin

On Sunday we saw a parade going down our street to celebrate. I don't know what all is in store for us today, but there might be fireworks. We will see.

The parade. There is netting on our balcony, so I had to take pictures through that

Happy Independence Day! Again!