Joaquín de la Pezuela
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Don Joaquín de la Pezuela Marquis of Viluma |
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| Viceroy of Peru | |
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In office July 7, 1816 – January 29, 1821 |
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| Monarch | Ferdinand VII |
| Preceded by | José Fernando de Abascal |
| Succeeded by | José de la Serna |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1761 Naval, Huesca, Spain |
| Died | 1830 Madrid, Spain |
| Profession | Military |
| Religion | Catholic |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Viceroyalty of Peru
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| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Battles/wars | |
Spanish American wars of independence
Joaquín de la Pezuela Griñán y Sánchez Muñoz de Velasco, 1st marquis of Viluma (Spanish: Joaquín de la Pezuela Griñán y Sánchez Muñoz de Velasco, primer Marqués de Viluma) (1761–1830) was a Spanish military officer and viceroy of Peru during the War of Independence.
Pezuela was born into a hidalgo family originally from Santander. He attended the Artillery College in Segovia. In the army, he fought in the siege of Gibraltar, and later against the French in Guipúzcoa and Navarre, in 1793 and 1794. In 1805 he went to America as head of the army in Alto Perú (now Bolivia).
From there he went to Peru, when Viceroy José Fernando de Abascal y Sousa named him directory of the Royal Artillery. He reorganized the artillery, with emphasis on its modernization and technical aspects. In 1813 he was promoted to brigadier.
A defender of the Spanish Crown in South America, Pezuela fought the insurgents. He defeated Manuel Belgrano on October 19, 1813 in the Battle of Vilcapugio and again on November 14, 1813 in the Battle of Ayohuma (in present-day Bolivia). After these victories he advanced to the south, occupying the cities of Jujuy (northern Argentina) on May 27, 1814 and Salta on July 25, 1814. However, he was forced to withdraw under continuing harassment by General Martín Miguel de Güemes's gauchos. He lost 1,200 men on the retreat back to Jujuy without having fought a single major battle.
In 1815 he fought José Rondeau, whom he defeated in the Battle of Sipe-Sipe or Viluma. This battle took place on November 29, 1815 near Cochabamba, Alto Perú. It is said to be one of the most serious defeats suffered by the insurgents in the Spanish American wars of independence. The insurgents lost 2,000 men and all their artillery.
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Wikipedia