August 15th, 1812
Santa Fe de Bogotá
Republic of Cundinamarca

These days have not been easy.  First, this palace is too cold for what
I had become used to... well, this Santa Fe seem to be colder, any how,
than my old Bogotá, and after all this time I had been in Tierra
Caliente, I almost forgot how the Freezer was like.  Hmm... "The
Freezer"... too uptime a nickname for coining it yet for Santa Fe.

After a week of deliberation, it seems that the high citizens of the
city of Santa Fe, and a few delegates from other towns from the province
and from Mariquita, finally agreed on what to do next.  They decided for
a complete rejection to the Viceroyalty of Sámano or any other
representation of the King of Spain that would not recognize the right
of self-determination of the peoples in the Americas.  The Provinces of
Santa Fe, Mariquita, and any other province that would want to join,
would conform the Republic of Cundinamarca, and Cundinamarca would join
the Colombian Pact.

The Government of Cundinamarca would be a triunvirate, conformed by Don
Jorge de Lozano (Marquis of San Jorge), Don Luis de Caicedo, and Don
Antonio Nariño.  The military would be in charge of Gen. Antonio Baraya.
Both Nariño and Baraya should come to the City of Santa Fe as soon as
possible to take possession of their offices.  I am not really pleased
about the triumvirate but those names seem reasonable to me.  Cor.
Suarez of the Darien Army would be in control of the Cundinamarca Army
while Baraya assumed his office.

When they read the key points of this constitution to the people in the
Major Square, people applauded and seem to have agreed.  This seems to
be a good sign and I feel that a heavy weight was taken off my back.
With the rumors that the Republic of Venezuela had fallen, I was very
worried that the high citizens or the people of Santa Fe would have
rejected our "liberation", but it seems, for what they said and how the
people reacted, that this was something they actually wanted and not
just a way to placate an invasion army.

I was even more worried this morning when a courier arrived with
confirmed news: Venezuela felt in July.  Miranda was imprisoned and
Piar and Bolivar were in exile.  But the positive reaction of the
people of Santa Fe to the conformation of the Republic of Cundinamarca
was enough to let me go in peace.  I also got news from Sámano.  There
are some reports he was seen in the way to Neyva, which confirm our
suspicions that he is going south, probably to Popayán or Quito.  Or to
Perú.  Matheson has recommended we should send a party to chase him
before he gets to any royalist stronghold.  However, he has already a
considerable advantage and the loyalties of those lands are not quite
easy to determinate.  He was traveling with a dozen men, according to
the report.  I will send 20 of my men after him, I guess.

Given that the situation is practically solved here in Santa Fe, I guess
I can return to Darien very soon.  Matheson will go North to meet
Ricaurte in Socorro, which declared his independence two months ago and
is seemingly joining the Colombian Pact too.  Matheson will command all
non-Darien and non-Santafe troops that are with us.  Half of the Darien
troops will come with me.  The reminding Darien troops (mainly those
form Sumapaz) and the patriotic forces from Santa Fe will surely be an
enough base to keep things in order while we find Baraya and communicate
him on his new appointing.  I have to ultimate some details on how
Suarez and the Sumapaz troops will remind in Cundinamarca under Darien
control.  There must be something in the constitution of the Colombian
Pact that should allow me to do it.

Now it is time to plan what will be next to me.  There are still a lot
of provinces that are still royalist, mainly in the South: Popayán,
Quito, Sucre, etc.  But also in the North.  Some will turn patriotic by
themselves, either spontaneously or pushed a little.  The idea, into the
Colombian Pact, is to push those provinces first, before attempting
another liberation campaign.  With Venezuela having fallen, it is
important that this pact will endure.  I have discussed of record this
afternoon with the Marquis and Caicedo: the main responsibility for
freeing Tunja, Casanare and Neyva, as well as for the still royalist
controlled bits of Mariquita and Santa Fe, is for Cundinamarca, with any
help of the Colombian Pact they will require.  Matheson will surely push
over Pamplona and the South of Santa Marta.  I have still to convince
Antioquia to join us, and I am pretty sure that the Cauca Valley will
turn patriotic any time now, so I need to get them into the Colombian
system.

-- Gen. Tomás Pinzón
   Chief Commander of the Army of Darien
   Colombian Pact Army