Gabino Gaínza facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gabino Gaínza
1st Captain General of Central America
In office 5 January 1822 – 23 June 1822
Monarch	Agustín I
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Vicente Filísola
1st Chief Political Officer of the Province of Guatemala
In office 15 September 1821 – 23 October 1822
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Vicente Filísola
1st Chief Political Officer of the Province of Guatemala
In office 5 March 1821 – 15 September 1821
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Carlos de Urrutia and Montoya
Captain General of Chile
In office 19 July 1814 – 26 December 1814
Preceded by	Juan Francisco Sánchez
Succeeded by	Mariano Osorio
Personal details
Born	Gabino Gaínza y Fernández de Medrano 20 October 1753 or 1760 Vizcaya, Basque Country
Died	1829 (aged 69 or 76) Mexico
Nationality	Spanish
Occupation	military and political
Military service
Allegiance	Army of Spain
Rank	general

Gabino Gaínza was a Spanish soldier and politician who lived a long time ago. He was born in Spain in the 1750s or 1760s and died around 1829 in Mexico City. He played a big part in the wars where countries in Latin America fought for their freedom from Spain.

At first, he fought for Spain in Chile. But later, in Guatemala, he helped the people gain independence. He became the first leader of a large area called Central America. This region included countries like Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

Gabino Gaínza's Military Career

Gabino Gaínza first came to Peru in 1783 as a Spanish army officer. He helped put down a rebellion led by a native leader named Túpac Amaru. After that, he moved to Guayaquil and became a colonel. He was in charge of the gunboats in the port.

In 1799, he married Gregoria Rocafuerte in Guayaquil. She was the sister of Vicente Rocafuerte, who would later become a president of Ecuador. Gaínza was 46, and Gregoria was 20. His military career continued to go well. In 1792, he was made a knight of the Order of St. John. He was also a trusted advisor to several Peruvian viceroys. In 1811, he was promoted to brigadier. He was given command of a special army group in Lima.

Fighting for Spain in Chile

In January 1814, Gaínza was sent to Chile by Viceroy José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa. He became the main general of the Spanish forces there. His job was to restart the war against the Chilean rebels, who were fighting for independence.

Gaínza arrived in Arauco on January 31, 1814. The rebel troops, led by Bernardo O'Higgins, could not stop him. In Arauco, he met with many Mapuche people. They promised to support him and help him with 6,000 soldiers. Gaínza also added more Spanish forces to his command.

One of his army groups captured Talca on March 3, 1814. During this fight, a small group of rebel soldiers was killed. This event caused problems for the rebel government in Santiago. The rebel leaders had left Talca just days before. Because of this embarrassing situation, the rebel government fell apart. Francisco de la Lastra then took control as the new leader.

The next day, Gaínza's soldiers captured José Miguel Carrera and Luis Carrera. They were important leaders of the rebel army. Even with these successes, the war was not easily won. Neither side could get a final victory. Gaínza and his officers won some battles and lost others.

Some of the battles were:

• The Battle of Cucha-Cucha
• The Battle of Gamero
• The Battle of El Quilo
• The Battle of El Membrillar
• The First Battle of Cancha Rayada
• The Battle of Guajardo
• The Battle of Río Claro
• The Battle of Quechereguas

After these battles, both armies were very tired. They also had very few supplies. Gaínza had gained more land for Spain, but his army was much weaker. Because of this, it was a good time for peace talks. An English officer, James Hillyar, arrived with orders to talk with the rebels.

Gaínza signed the Treaty of Lircay. In this treaty, he agreed to leave the Province of Concepción. In return, the rebel leaders, Bernardo O'Higgins and Juan Mackenna, promised to be loyal to the Spanish King Ferdinand VII.

However, it seemed the treaty was just a way for both sides to get a break. Gaínza did not leave his positions as agreed. The rebels also did not fully follow the agreement. Viceroy Abascal was very angry when he read the treaty. He removed Gaínza from his command. He replaced him with Mariano Osorio. The Viceroy also had Gaínza put on trial in Lima. He was accused of going beyond his orders.

Returning to Power

Gaínza had to wait under guard for his trial in Lima. In 1816, he was found not guilty. But his reputation in the army was still damaged. So, he moved to Quito. This area was under the control of the viceroy of New Granada.

In early 1820, Gaínza got a new job. He became the general inspector of forces in Viceroyalty of New Spain (Mexico). He also became the Captain General of Guatemala. This area included five provinces: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

The new viceroy of Peru, Joaquín de la Pezuela, did not like this appointment. He said that Gaínza was friendly with the rebels. The acting captain general of Guatemala, Carlos de Urrutia y Montoya, also protested. He said Gaínza was too old for the job at 67.

Guatemala Declares Independence

Despite the opposition, Gaínza got the new position. He took control of the government on March 9, 1821. In August 1821, Mexico became independent. It was ruled by Emperor Agustín de Iturbide. Guatemala was technically part of Mexico (New Spain). Gaínza decided to support the idea of independence.

On September 15, 1821, in Guatemala City, the Kingdom of Guatemala declared its independence from Spain. On that day, Gaínza was one of the people who signed the Act of Independence of Central America.

The city government decided that a national congress would need to confirm their act. This congress was set to start on March 1, 1822. Until then, the Spanish officials would stay in their jobs. This meant that Gaínza became the first leader of the independent nation of Central America. He was called the Jefe político (Political Chief).

Joining the Mexican Empire

The Act of Independence did not clearly say what Guatemala's relationship would be with the new Mexican Empire. On October 29, 1821, Mexican Emperor Iturbide sent Gaínza a message. He invited Guatemala to become part of the Empire. He also said that a large Mexican army was moving towards Guatemala's border.

Gaínza replied a month later, on December 3, 1821. He said he needed to ask the different city governments for their opinion. He asked Iturbide to wait for his answer. Two days after the deadline, Gaínza sent his reply. It was not a complete agreement.

• 32 city governments accepted joining Mexico.
• 104 accepted with certain conditions.
• 2 were against the idea.
• 21 felt that only the congress, meeting in March, could decide.

This last group was correct. Gaínza's plan to ask the cities bought some time. But it went against Article 2 of the Act of Independence. This article stated that "Congress must decide the point of absolute general independence and fix, in case of agreement, the form of government and the fundamental law of governance."

Some people also suspected that the results were manipulated. The secretary who advised Gaínza, Mariano Gálvez, was accused of changing the results to favor joining Mexico. However, many towns also joined the Empire on their own. There was a lot of pressure to make this decision.

So, Gaínza and his advisory group declared the union of the Kingdom of Guatemala to the Mexican Empire. This act was signed on January 5, 1822, in Guatemala City.

Here are some things that happened next:

• On January 11, 1822, El Salvador said the annexation was not right. They declared themselves in rebellion. They prepared for armed resistance under José Matías Delgado and Manuel José Arce.
• On January 23, 1822, Iturbide named Gaínza the temporary captain general of Guatemala.
• On February 25, 1822, Gaínza ordered everyone to swear loyalty to the Mexican Empire.
• On March 30, 1822, Iturbide gave Gaínza the title of lieutenant general. He also offered him a job as governor of a province. He was made a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
• Gaínza asked for Mexican troops to be sent to Central America.
• On June 12, 1822, these troops, led by Vicente Filísola, arrived in Guatemala City.
• On June 23, 1822, Gaínza gave his power to Filísola. He then left the country for Mexico.

Later Life and Death

It seems that Emperor Iturbide did not keep his promises to Gaínza. The old soldier did not receive the government job he was offered. He died in poverty in Mexico City around the year 1829.

His wife returned to Guayaquil. She had his many awards and an agreement from Guatemala City. This agreement said her husband would get a military pension of 10,000 pesos each year from 1821. However, there is no record that these payments were ever made.

See also

In Spanish: Gabino Gaínza para niños