Battle of Pichincha The Battle of Pichincha took place on 24 May 1822 , on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano , 3 , 500 meters above sea - level , right next to the city of Quito , in modern Ecuador . The encounter , fought in the context of the Spanish American wars of independence , pitted a Patriot army under General Antonio José de Sucre against a Royalist army commanded by Field Marshal Melchor Aymerich . The defeat of the Royalist forces loyal to Spain brought about the liberation of Quito , and secured the independence of the provinces belonging to the " Real Audiencia de Quito " , or " Presidencia de Quito " , the Spanish colonial administrative jurisdiction from which the Republic of Ecuador would eventually emerge . Background . The military campaign for the independence of the " Presidencia de Quito " could be said to have begun on October 9 , 1820 , when the port - city of Guayaquil proclaimed its independence from Spanish rule after a quick and almost bloodless revolt against the local colonial garrison . The leaders of the movement , a combination of Venezuelan and Peruvian pro - independence officers from the colonial army , along with local intellectuals and patriots , set up a governing council and raised a military force with the purpose of defending the city and carrying the independence movement to the other provinces in the country . By that time , the tide of the wars of independence in South America had turned decisively against Spain : Simón Bolívar ' s victory at the Battle of Boyacá ( August 7 , 1819 ) had sealed the independence of the former Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada , while to the south , José de San Martín , having landed with his army on the Peruvian coast on September , 1820 , was preparing the campaign for the independence of the Viceroyalty of Perú . First Campaigns in the " Real Audiencia de Quito " ( 1820 - 1821 ) . There were three military attempts to liberate the territory of the " Real Audiencia " . The first campaign was carried out by the new independent government of Guayaquil , which raised an army with local recruits — perhaps 1 , 800 men strong — and in November 1820 sent it towards the central highlands , with the purpose of encouraging other cities to join the independentist cause . After some initial successes , which included the declaration of independence of Cuenca , on November 3 , 1820 , the Patriots suffered a costly defeat at the hands of the Royalist army at the Battle of Huachi ( November 22 , 1820 ) , near Ambato , forcing the Patriots to retreat back to the coastal lowlands . By February 1821 , Guayaquil began to receive reinforcements , weapons and supplies , sent by Simón Bolívar , President of the fledgling Republic of Colombia . In May of that year , Brigadier General Antonio José de Sucre , Commander in Chief of the Southern Division of the Colombian Army and Bolívar ' s most trusted military subordinate , came to Guayaquil . He was to take overall command of the new Patriot army , and begin operations aimed at the liberation of Quito and the entire territory of the " Real Audiencia de Quito " . Bolívar ' s ultimate political goal was the incorporation of all the provinces of the " Real Audiencia " into Colombia , including Guayaquil , still undecided whether to join Perú or Colombia , and with a strong current of opinion in favour of setting up its own Republic . Time was of the essence , as it was vital to force the issue before General José de San Martín , still fighting in Perú , could come up to bring forward any Peruvian claims to the important port - city . Sucre ' s advance up the Andes began in July , 1821 . As had happened in the first campaign , after some initial successes , Sucre was defeated by the Royalist army on September 12 , 1821 , coincidentally at the same place of the previous battle ( resulting in a Second Battle of Huachi ) . This second campaign came to an end with the signing of an armistice between the Patriots and the Spanish on November 19 , 1821 . The Final Campaign of Quito ( 1822 ) . Planning . Back in Guayaquil , General Sucre concluded that the best course of action for the next campaign would be to drop any further attempt of a direct advance to Quito by way of Guaranda , in favor of an indirect approach , marching first to the southern highlands and Cuenca before wheeling north and advancing up the inter - Andean " corridor " towards Quito . This plan had several advantages . Retaking Cuenca would cut all communications between Quito and Lima , and would allow Sucre to wait for the reinforcements that in the meantime San Martín had promised would come from Perú . Also , a more progressive and slower advance from the lowlands up the Andes into the southern highlands would allow for a gradual adaptation of the troops to the physiological effects of the altitude . Moreover , it was the only way to avoid another direct clash in unfavorable conditions with the Royalist forces coming down from Quito . Renewed campaign , 1822 . By the beginning of January 1822 , Sucre opened the new campaign . His army consisted now of approximately 1 , 700 men , including veterans from the previous campaigns as well as raw recruits . There were men from the lowlands of the Province of Guayaquil and volunteers that had come down from the highlands , both contingents soon to be organized in the " Yaguachi " Battalion ; there were Colombians sent by Bolívar , a number of Spanish - born officers and men that had changed sides ; a full battalion of British volunteers ( the " Albión " ) ; and even small numbers of Frenchmen . On January 18 , 1822 , the Patriot army marched on Machala , in the southern lowlands . On February 9 , 1822 , having crossed the Andes , Sucre entered the town of Saraguro , where he was joined by the 1 , 200 men of the Peruvian Division , the contingent previously promised by San Martín . This force was mostly Peruvians recruits , with Argentinian and Chilean officers . Facing a multinational force numbering around 3 , 000 men , the 900 - strong Royalist cavalry detachment covering Cuenca withdraw to the north , being pursued at a distance by Patriot cavalry . Cuenca was thus retaken by Sucre on February 21 , 1822 , without a shot being fired . During March and April , the Royalists continued to march northwards , successfully avoiding battle with the Patriot cavalry . Nevertheless , on April 21 , 1822 , a ferocious cavalry encounter did take place at Tapi , near Riobamba . At the end of the day , the Royalists abandoned the field , while the main body of Sucre ' s army proceeded to take Riobamba , staying there until April 28 , before renewing the advance to the north . Final approach to Quito . By May 2 , 1822 , Sucre ' s main force had reached the city of Latacunga , 90 km south of Quito . There he proceeded to refit his troops and fill up the ranks with new volunteers from the nearby towns , waiting for the arrival of reinforcements , mainly the Colombian " Alto Magdalena " Battalion , and new intelligence on the whereabouts of the Royalist army . Aymerich had meanwhile set up strongpoints and artillery positions on the main mountain passes leading to the Quito basin . Sucre , bent on avoiding a frontal clash on unfavorable terrain , decided to advance along the flanks of the Royalist positions , marching along the slopes of the Cotopaxi volcano in order to reach the Chillos valley , at the rear of the Royalist blocking positions . By May 14 , the Royalist Army , sensing Sucre ' s intentions , began to fall back , reaching Quito on May 16 . Two days later , and after a most difficult march , Sucre ' s main body occupied Sangolquí . Climbing up the Pichincha . On the night of 23 – 24 May 1822 , the Patriot Army , 2 , 971 men - strong , began to climb up the slopes of the Pichincha . In the vanguard were the 200 Colombians of the " Alto Magdalena " , followed by Sucre ' s main body . Bringing up the rear were the Scots and Irish of the " Albión " , protecting the ammunitions train . In spite of the strenuous efforts made by the troops , the advance up the slopes of the volcano was slower than anticipated , as the light rain that fell during the night turned the trails leading up the mountain into quagmires . By dawn , to Sucre ' s dismay , the army had not been able to make much progress , finding itself just halfway along the mountain , 3 , 500 meters above sea - level , and in full view of the Royalist sentries down in Quito . At 8 o ' clock , anxious about the slow progress of the " Albión " , and with his troops exhausted and struck with altitude sickness , Sucre ordered a stop , ordering his commanders to hide their battalions as best they could . He sent part of the " Cazadores del Paya " Battalion ( Peruvians ) forward in a reconnaissance role , to be followed by the " Trujillo " , another Peruvian Battalion . One and a half - hours later , much to their surprise , the men of the " Paya " were suddenly struck by a well - aimed musket volley . The battle had started . Battle , 3 , 500 meters above sea - level . Unknown to Sucre , when dawn came , the sentries posted around Quito had indeed caught sight of the Patriot troops marching up the volcano . Aymerich , aware now of the young General ' s intention to flank him by going up the Pichincha , ordered his army — 1 , 894 men — to ascend the mountain at once , intent on facing Sucre then and there . Having made contact in the most unlikely of places , both commanders had no choice but to throw their troops piecemeal into the battle . There was little room to manoeuvre on the steep slopes of the Pichincha , amid deep gullies and dense undergrowth . The men from the " Paya " , recovering from the initial shock , took positions under withering fire , waiting for the " Trujillo " to come up . A startled Sucre , hoping only that the Spaniards would be even more exhausted than his own troops , began by sending up the Yaguachi Battalion ( Ecuadorians ) . The Colombians of the " Alto Magdalena " tried to make a flanking move , but to no avail , as the broken terrain made it impossible . Soon , the " Paya " , " Barrezueta " and " Yaguachi " , suffering heavy losses and lacking enough ammunition , began to fall back . Everything now seemed to depend on the " Albión " , bringing up the much needed reserve ammunition , but whose exact whereabouts were unknown . As time went by , the Royalists seemed to gain the upper hand . The " Trujillo " was forced to fall back , while the " Piura " Battalion ( Peruvians ) , fled before making contact with the enemy . In desperation , the part of the " Paya " held in reserve was ordered to make a bayonet charge . Both sides suffered heavy losses , but the situation was somehow stabilized for the Patriots . Nevertheless , Melchor Aymerich had an ace up his sleeve , so to speak . During the march up the Pichincha , he had detached his crack " Aragón " Battalion from his main force , ordering it to make for the top of the volcano , so as to fall upon the rear of the Patriots when the time came and break their lines with an attack on their rear . The " Aragón " — a veteran Spaniard unit that had seen plenty of action both during the Peninsular War and in South America — was now on top of the Patriots . As luck would have it , just as it was about to charge down onto the faltering Patriot line , it was stopped dead on its tracks by the English , Scots and Irish veterans of " Albión " , which made a surprise entry into the battle . As it was , the Albión had actually advanced to a position higher than the Spaniards . Soon , the " Magdalena " joined in the fight , and the " Aragón " , after suffering heavy losses , was put out of action . The Colombians from the " Magdalena " then went up to the line to replace the " Paya " , and charged upon the Royalist line , which was finally broken . At midday , Aymerich ordered the retreat . The Royalist army , now disorganized and exhausted , retreated down the Pichincha , towards Quito . Although some units descended to Quito in disarray , harassed by the " Magdalena " charging after them , others retreated in orderly fashion . The Colombians reached the outer limits of Quito , but did not go any further , acting on orders from their commanding officer who prudently decided against letting his soldiers enter the city . Thus , the Battle of Pichincha had ended . From the moment of first contact to the order of retreat , it had lasted no more than three hours . Sucre ' s after - action report . The day after the battle , May 25 , Sucre wrote down his report of the action : Thus was born the legend of native Cuencan Abdón Calderón Garaycoa , who along with Sucre came to symbolize the memory of Pichincha for the new Ecuadorian nation . Aftermath . While in the general context of the Wars of Independence , the Battle of Pichincha stands as a minor clash , both in terms of its duration and the number of troops involved , its results were to be anything but insignificant . On May 25 , 1822 , Sucre entered with his army in the city of Quito , where he accepted the surrender of all the Spanish forces then based in what the Colombian government called the " Department of Quito " , considered by that Government as an integral part of the Republic of Colombia since its creation on December 17 , 1819 . Previously , when Sucre had recaptured Cuenca , on February 21 , 1822 , he had obtained from its local Council a decree by which it proclaimed the integration of the city and its province into the Republic of Colombia . Now , the surrender of Quito , which put and end to the Royalist resistance in the northern province of Pasto , allowed Bolívar to finally come down to Quito , which he entered on June 16 , 1822 . Amid the general enthusiasm of the population , the former Province of Quito was officially incorporated into the Republic of Colombia . One more piece to the puzzle remained , Guayaquil , still undecided about its future . The presence of Bolívar and the victorious Colombian army in the city finally forced the hands of the Guayaquilenos , whose governing council proclaimed the Province of Guayaquil as part of Colombia on July 13 , 1822 . Eight years later , in 1830 , the three southern Departments of Colombia , Quito ( now renamed Ecuador ) , Guayaquil and Cuenca , would secede from that country to constitute a new nation , which took the name of Republic of Ecuador . Order of battle . PATRIOT ARMY ROYALIST ARMY La Cima de la Libertad . The area where the battle took place has now a large monument and a Champ de Mars ( Parade grounds ) and a museum and is called colloquially " La Cima de la Libertad " ( The Summit of Liberty ) .