Battle of Boyacá The Battle of Boyacá in Colombia , then known as New Granada , was the battle in which Colombia acquired its definitive independence from Spanish Monarchy , although fighting with royalist forces would continue for years . Brigadier General s Francisco de Paula Santander and José Antonio Anzoátegui led a combined republican army of Colombians and Venezuelans , complemented by the British Legion , to defeat in two hours a Royalist Colombian - Venezuelan forces led by Spanish Colonels José María Barreiro and Francisco Jiménez . Simón Bolívar credited the victory to the British Legion declaring that " those soldier liberators are the men who deserve these laurels " when offered laurels after the victory . The battle occurred 150 km from Bogotá in the Andes Mountains , in a place known as " Casa de Teja " , close to a bridge over the Teatinos River and 3 roads heading to Samaca , Motavita and Tunja , an area which is now part of the Boyacá Department . The battle . On August 7 , 1819 , after Bolívar secured a narrow victory at Vargas Swamp Battle , both armies headed towards Bogotá , which was lightly defended . The capture of the capital in the hands of the Patriot Army would effectively cut off the advance of the republican army and give the strategic initiative to its opponents . At 6 : 00 a . m . , the Spanish forces departed from Motavita towards Casa de Teja , a distance of only 25 km which the Spaniards completed in 7 hours 30 minutes , at an average speed of 18 minutes per kilometer . At 10 : 00 a . m . General Santander ' s forces departed from Tunja toward Casa de Piedra and the road to Bogota . The Patriot forces completed the 16 km in 4 hours ( at an average rate of 15 minutes per kilometer ) . The Republican forces split in two : the vanguard reached Casa de Teja at 1 : 30 p . m . , while the rearguard stopped a kilometer and a half behind to get some rest . Shortly before 2 : 00 p . m . , Capitan Andres Ibarra and his forces spotted Casa de Teja and the vanguard of the Republican Army . The Spaniards spotted him too , and Coronel Sebastian Dias , chief of the vanguard of the Spanish army ordered to follow and engage what he believed was only a small observation force . They returned and General Santander ordered Lieutenant Coronel Paris to attack the Republican forces . The Spanish vanguard crossed a strategic bridge over the Teatinos River and took attack positions there . Meanwhile , the full force of the Patriot army under Santander had reached Casa de Piedra . The Spanish rearguard was still several meters behind , so General Anzoátegui ordered to block the way between the vanguard and the rearguard of the Spanish forces . The rearguard , outnumbered , retreated to a small hill close to Casa de Piedra . Simón Bolívar ' s forces arrived from Paipa , after the Vargas Swamp battle . He ordered a flank attack on the Spanish rearguard : battalions Barcelona and Bravos de Paez were to attack on the right side while the Legion Britanica and Rifles Battalion attacked on the left . The enemy assumed battle positions : in the center were three artillery pieces surrounded by royal battalions 12 and 22 , and on the wings , cavalry units . Arthur Sandes commander of Rifles Battalion charges the royalist artillery . Outnumbered , the Spanish rear guard began to retreat without any clear direction . Therefore , Bolívar ordered lancers units to attack the center of the Republican infantry , while a full cavalry squadron ran away from the battle via the road towards Samaca . Bareiro attempted to break the blockage of the Patriot forces and rendezvous with the Spanish vanguard but heavy enemy fire forced him and his forces to surrender . Meanwhile , one kilometer and a half behind Casa de Piedra , the Patriot vanguard managed to ford the river and was approaching the rear of the Republican vanguard force . Once it reached them , the vanguard forces engaged in battle , while the rearguard attempted to cross the river by force , using bayonets . The Spanish forces fled , leaving on the bridge their leader , Coronel Juan Taira . As the assembly of enemy prisoners began , the battle was over shortly after 4 : 00 p . m . At least 1 , 600 troops and several of the Spanish commanders , including Barreiro himself , were captured at the end of the battle . New Granada ' s liberation was assured by this victory , which left the road to Bogotá and the city itself practically undefended , as the survivors headed towards other locations . After the battle , Santander and Anzoátegui were promoted to Divisional General . On the orders of Santander , Colonel Barreiro and 38 more were executed in Bogotá on October 11 , 1819 . The bridge in question , el Puente de Boyacá , is no longer in use but it has been maintained as a symbol of the Independence of South America . Historical consequences and legacy . Viceroy Juan de Samano was informed of the defeat and managed to escape and flee to Spain , which brought to an end the reign of the Spanish Empire in northern Latin America . In commemoration of this battle , August 7 is a national holiday in Colombia . On this date every 4 years the elected President of Colombia is proclaimed in the Casa de Nariño . Bogotá starts the usual celebrations one day in advance in commemoration of the foundation of the city , on August 6 , 1538 .