Colombia celebrates Battle of Boyaca

Colombia on Tuesday celebrates the Battle of Boyaca, a national holiday dedicated to an 1819 battle that proved crucial in acquiring independence from Spain.

On the bank holiday, President Juan Manuel Santos will meet up with an army cavalry unit that has been making the symbolic liberty tour through the Boyaca department.

The meeting between the army unit and the president will take place at the Boyaca bridge where the battle took place.

During the 1819 battle, Colombian republican forced led by Simon Bolivar were joined by British legions to defeat the colonial Spanish army that was trying to crush the Colombian struggle for independence.

The battle led to the official recognition of Gran Colombia, the republic that later was divided into Colombia, Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador.

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