8th April, 1812
Maracaibo, Republic of Venezuela

Fellow Uptimers:

After the natural events in Venezuela that specially affected Caracas, I
got finally that some of the most important leaders had gathered
together here in Maracaibo to discuss on the future of our countries.
I have this idea of having a federation that will count as that Great
Colombia that OTL would create Bolivar, but trying to deal better with
all those regional conflicts, warlords and caudillos by trying the get
the perfect balance between regional autonomy and central authority.  Of
course, in these few days it was quite difficult to get to that balance
and our different views.  I guess it was very clever that we only signed
a military alliance for now and we let the discussion of any political
integration for a future, more representative, congress.

I think it was lucky we got the presence of delegations from Antioquia
and Santa Fe.  Unfortunally we got no participation from any of the
provinces of Boyaca or the south of New Granada, neither from people
from Panama outside Darien or Quito.

As I suspected, there is quite some unrest in Maracaibo, during the
meetings some royalists parties had let us know they are here and they
still blame the earthquake to our rebellion.  I had the opportunity to
talk yesterday evening with a royalist Creole my men had captured, a
Carlist.  While he was worried about many of the things that the
patriotic Creoles are, like the lack of better representation, and he
does not particularly like Samano and his policies, he is quite
confident that when Carlos is back in Old Spain as the righteous king,
the Empire will be prosperous again as God will provide for His loyal
followers as that the order will come back to the Americas.  He could
not conceive that the Empire will eventually be ripped in two parts, an
Old Spain in Europe, ruled by Ferdinand, and a New Spain in North
America ruled by Carlos, while South America would be independent from
both of them.  The fact that the leaders of the rebellion are a bunch of
freethinkers, masons, etc. seem to be what this guy is more afraid of
us.  He was particularly afraid of me and my men... the racial issue as
always.  I guess he still are, despite I ordered that he would be
released this morning, while he would be killed in the hands of this
White fellow Bolivar if he ever declares the war to death as he did in
the uptime timeline.

But royalist is not our only concern.  In the delegations there are
different points of views regarding the situation in the Empire.  We
Americans and particularly the White Creoles in the Americas have little
to decide in our futures in the way the Spanish Empire has been managing
things out, and that Samano and his policies is the worst of that
situation.   While the delegation leaders are very pro-independence,
they recognize that not everybody they represent want complete
independence.  There are many people in the delegation that are willing
to belong to a New Spain in the Americas if Carlos accept a deal or
autonomy.  Other people that sympathizes better with Ferdinand and that
we should be keep a union with the Motherland (a Union, not a
dependency).  People that would like that New Granada and Venezuela
should be together in every aspect, some that has a more American or
South-American perspective, or a more Caribbean perspective.  People
that barely believe that once we fight together every country should
have its own destiny.  People that do not like the division between New
Granada and Venezuela but who look into more fragmentation.

At least we could agree on a name for this union: Colombia, and after a
little discussion, we give the official name of the alliance: Pact of
Sovereign Provinces of Colombia.  My draft was basically accepted after
several modifications and we had it signed today by three o'clock in the
afternoon.

Here is the text of the agreement:

<---- text begins here ---->

Maracaibo Manifest

The delegation members of the free provinces and the representatives of
the patriotic fractions of New Granada and Venezuela,

recognizing that the Spanish Empire in its crisis has relegated the
well-being and progress of its subjects and has replaced its obligations
by the terror of a tyranny,

recognizing that the representatives of the towns have the right and the
obligation to look for their fellows and that the peoples have the right
and the obligation to demand to their rulers these duties or to choose
and to change their rulers if they do not fulfill them,

recognizing that the lack of respect for their subjects and the
systematic denial of the rights of man, go back to times previous to the
present crisis,

recognizing that none of the self-proclaimed kings of the Spanish Empire
has given samples of wanting to give a solution to this problems and, on
the contrary, they prefer to respond with repression and terror,

we declare

that the provinces of New Granada and Venezuela are in revolt against
the Spanish crown and standing for fight against the forms of tyranny of
the Spanish Empire.

Consequently with this declaration, we signed a pact of alliance to
combine efforts to fight the tyranny in our land and to free and defend
them from the Spanish yoke, as well as from the threats from any other
foreign powers.

This alliance will take the name of Pact of Sovereign Provinces of
Colombia and will adopt for its identification a flag with yellow, blue
and red strips.

In order to ratify this alliance as well as to discuss to a definitive
position in front of the Spanish Empire or her descendants and parts,
and to look for greater levels of political integration, a congress will
be summoned in which the representatives of the free, freed and rebel
provinces will participate, in a term not greater than a year from the
signature in this agreement.

At the eighth day of April of the year of our Lord of 1812, the
delegation leaders of the free provinces of New Granada and Venezuela
and the representatives of the patriotic fractions of the provinces
still subjugated; subscribe this agreement of pact.

German Gutierrez de Piñeres
Sovereign State of Cartagena

Carlos Eugenio Tomas Pinzon Garcia
Free State of Darien

Simon Bolivar
Republic of Venezuela

Rafael Urdaneta
Maracaibo, Republic of Venezuela

Anastacio Girardot
Province of Antioquia

Antonio Nariño
Provinces of Cundinamarca

<----- text ends here ----->

I would like to comment on the signatories.  Gutierrez de Piñeres was
the leader of the delegation from Cartagena.  A very pro-independence
Creole, who does not completely agree with the current administration
but who has not been as belligerent in this opposition as his brother.

Carlos Pinzón, well, you already know that guy ;-)

Simon Bolivar, a Colonel of the Spanish army and son of a wealthy family
in Caracas who is devoted to the revolution.  Very pro-independence, a
natural leader that should be ascended to General as the order from
Miranda arrives.

It was decided that Maracaibo should have a distinct representation to
that from the rest of Venezuela.  Rafael Urdaneta was the delegation
leader.  Maracaibo born, he was in Santa Fe during the insurrection of
September 1810.  He came back to Maracaibo before Samano arrived and
begun to assist in pro-independence meetings, which led to his
imprisoning.  Rescued in the Maracaibo insurrection last year has become
an important leader for the republicans in Maracaibo.

Atanacio Girardot is a Creole from Antioquia.  He was also present in
Santa Fe during the insurrection and went back to Antioquia after it
failed.  He felt unsafe when Samano increased his repressive policies and
went therefore to rebel Cartagena where I meet him.  I didn't expect a
delegation from Antioquia would come but I am happy he did.

Antonio Nariño is a man with many ideas.  Born in Santa Fe he got a very
liberal education that has brought him some troubles with the Spanish
establishment.  If he hadn't already be imprisoned in Cartagena at the
time of the Santa Fe insurrection he would have been the first man
Samano would have shoot, as the ideas he published were a key element
that inspired my fellow insurrects.  I cannot help to admire that man,
and he has been an inspiration for the other delegations.  Even if he is
more centralist than me, he is pretty sure that the more autonomy the
provinces have, the provinces will become feuds from local caudillos and
our independence will become less viable.

Unfortunately we could not count with representatives from any of the
provinces of Boyacá or Quito.

After the signature of the pact, we begun to discuss on the command
structure.  As there is no political union yet both the presidents of
Venezuela, Francisco Miranda, and Cartagena, García Toledo, will share
the political command of the joined armed forces of the Colombian Pact.
They didn't accept to let my President in, but I am not worried about
that.

Captain Juan Nepomuceno Eslava from Cartagena would have the military
command over the joined fleet.  I insisted that he would be leader of
the Caribbean navy, they accepted "Atlantic" navy, which is the 100% of
the fleet we have right now as we do not have yet a Pacific navy (the
few dugouts we have in the pacific hardly count as a navy).  He will be
given the title of Admiral.

Colonel Bolivar, ascended as General, will be the Captain General (Chief
Commander) of the armies that will act from Cartagena to Maracaibo,
included.  He will this way have the military control over and the duty
to clear off the royalist from the provinces of Cartagena, Santa Marta,
Riohacha, Maracaibo, Pamplona and Socorro.

General Manuel Piar from Venezuela will be Captain General of the armies
of Venezuela (except for Maracaibo) and the New Granada province of
Casanare and eastern Santa Fe.

They confirmed me as Chief Commander of the Darien armies and extended
my control over the whole Panama and Veraguas and the provinces of
Antioquia and Popayán.

The idea is that we should achieve a greater control of these zones
before we attack Samano in Santa Fe, and go on to free Quito.  Nariño
will be training an army near Cartagena, to lead the Santa Fe campaign.
Meanwhile, our first joined mission will be to free Santa Marta:
Samano's main port on the Caribbean.

-- Gen. C. E. Tomás Pinzón G.
   Captain General of the Western Colombian Armies.
   Chief Commander of the Pardo Army of Darien.