The Battle of Los Horcones, fought on July 22, 1813 between Barquisimeto and Quíbor, was one of the most brilliant actions of the Admirable Campaign with which Simón Bolívar reconquered Venezuela in 1813. The action is decisive for the Tocuyan region because it consolidated patriot control of Lara State and allowed the liberating troops to reach El Tocuyo shortly after.
Context: the Admirable Campaign
After the fall of the First Republic in 1812, Bolívar undertook from New Granada the Admirable Campaign (May–August 1813) to reconquer Venezuela. The strategy was to advance rapidly from Cúcuta to Caracas, taking advantage of the fact that the royalist forces were dispersed.
After winning at San Cristóbal, Mérida, Trujillo and Niquitao, Bolívar divided the forces: he headed toward Barinas and Caracas; Colonel José Félix Ribas received the mission to clear the western flank, where a royalist column under the command of Colonel Francisco Oberto was attempting to block the patriot advance.
The forces involved
- Patriots: approximately 500 men with 4 artillery pieces, commanded by José Félix Ribas. Among the officers stood out Jacinto Lara, José Florencio Jiménez and the young Gabriel Picón, only 14 years old, known in Venezuelan military history as one of the "child heroes" of Independence.
- Royalists: approximately 1,500 men commanded by Colonel Francisco Oberto. They tripled the patriots in number.
The terrain: Los Horcones
The action was fought at the place called Los Horcones, on the royal road that connects Barquisimeto with Quíbor. It is semi-arid terrain, with gentle hills and dry vegetation, ideal for cavalry maneuvers but which also offers firing positions for well-directed infantry.
Course of the battle
Despite the numerical inferiority of three to one, Ribas attacked. The battle unfolded in several successive charges:
- First patriot charge: Ribas advanced with the infantry supported by the artillery. The royalists resisted but suffered considerable losses from the patriot fire.
- Second charge: the patriots attempted to flank but were repelled. The situation seemed to tilt in Oberto's favor.
- Third charge, decisive: with morale high and the battle cry resounding, the patriots attacked again. The royalist line yielded. Oberto ordered a retreat in disorder.
The patriot pursuit reached as far as Cabudare, where the dispersal of the royalist forces was completed. Oberto managed to save his life but lost artillery, flags and most of his troops, who surrendered or scattered.
Result
- Royalist casualties: approximately 200 dead, hundreds of wounded, dozens of prisoners, loss of artillery and war material.
- Patriot casualties: minor — disputed figure, but well below the royalist ones.
- Strategic result: the patriots took effective control of Barquisimeto and the region of present-day Lara State, leaving the road clear for Bolívar to reach Caracas on August 6, 1813 and reinstate the Second Republic.
Consequences for El Tocuyo
After Los Horcones, the patriot troops advanced along the road of present-day Lara State. El Tocuyo — which was still in royalist hands — suffered the reprisal of the Spanish officers before the patriots arrived: in 1813 several supporters of the Republic were shot, among them the father of José Trinidad Morán, future hero of Corpahuaico. The Morán family fled to Trujillo and joined the liberating army.
Historical importance
Los Horcones is studied in Venezuelan military academies as an example of how morale, audacity and discipline can compensate for numerical inferiority. For Lara and for El Tocuyo, it is one of the most significant actions of Independence: in its hills it was decided that central-western Venezuela would be patriot and not royalist for the rest of 1813.
Memory
Today there is a monument to the Battle of Los Horcones at the historic site, accessible from the Barquisimeto–Quíbor highway. It is a mandatory stop for those who travel the region following the steps of Bolívar and the Admirable Campaign. The date of July 22 is commemorated each year with civic events in Lara.