Americanos by John Charles Chasteen

Author:John Charles Chasteen
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Latin America -- History -- Autonomy and independence movements, Latin America -- History -- Wars of Independence, 1806-1830, Latin America -- History -- 1830-1898
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2008-01-05T16:00:00+00:00

The Pastuzo people had proved to be among the toughest, most loyal, and most determined of Fernando's subjects in America. Pastuzo society was heavily indigenous, with a high-Andean flavor. Along with the local Pastuzo clergy and the city's elite of espanoles americanos, the mestizo townspeople and Indian peasantry of Pasto were steadfastly royalist and had no wish to join a new republic that had renounced obedience to Fernando VTI. Pastuzo loyalty responded to a native conservatism, no doubt, but also to the ancient rivalry between Pasto and Quito. Among the ideas that occurred to the first Quito junta had been to attack Pasto. The second Quito junta also failed to endear the Pas-tuzos to the cause of America when it captured and briefly occupied their city. In mid-1814, Pasto stood as the stubborn bastion of New Granada's royalist south—a royalist south into which Antonio Narino vowed to introduce the benefits of liberty, whether the people there liked it or not.

Popayan, the chief city of southern New Granada, not far from Pasto, fell to Narino's army by the first of the year. While his army rested in Popayan, Narino wrote letters to the Pastuzos explaining that americanos shouldn't fight americanos, and that Bogota had Pasto's best interests at heart. But the Indians collected round stones the size of grapefruit for their slings and placed boulders along cliff edges above the roads on which Nariiio's armies would have to pass. The townspeople of Pasto likewise participated enthusiastically in the defense, which was fought in a string of holding actions as Nariiio's force advanced toward the city. Finally, practically on Pasto's doorstep, the city's determined inhabitants scattered Narino's forces and, on 14 May 1814, captured Narino himself without knowing who he was. Narino understood how the Pastuzos felt about him, so he dissimulated, claiming not to be Narino but to know Nariiio's whereabouts, which he promised to disclose if well treated. His captors marched him into the city to hear this information. Once safe in the custody of a Spanish general, the prisoner went out on a balcony and taunted the crowd with the information it sought: "Pastuzos! You're looking for General Narino? Here he is!" 4

In view of this revelation, the Pastuzos favored a summary execution, but the Spanish general protected his defiant captive, whom he thanked for preventing plunder in Popayan. Besides, Narino was a valuable prisoner. Soon he was on his way to Lima, and then to Cadiz, in chains once more. He had been out of Spanish custody for not quite four years.

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