Freeing Peru
Freeing Peru was a long and tedious journey. It started with Jose de San Martin, who achieved independence for Argentina, Chile, and Peru. He was a successful negotiator and military leader. He took the Army of the Andes consisting of 5,000 men across the Andes Mountains in nearly a month to take the Spanish Army by surprise. He declared Peru’s independence on July 8, 1821. However, the Spanish retreated up north, where Jose de San Martin and his army couldn’t reach.
In 1822, Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar met and agreed to work together to free Peru. Jose de San Martin conquered the Southern Part of Peru while Simon Bolivar conquered the North. When Jose de San Martin passed away, his army had already entered Lima. Simon Bolivar and his army won the last Battle of Ayacucho on December 9, 1824, forcing the Spanish Viceroy to surrender their retreat.