Gregorio José Rodriguez Carrillo, Bishop of Cartagena, A King of Cups

One notable aspect of the Latin American Independence Movement (1810-1825) was the formation of “a dozen of the world’s first constitutional republics” (Chasteen 95). An influential figure in Latin American independence was Venezuelan criollo Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), known as “The Liberator” who used nativism to grow a patriot army and free multiple nations in the northern part of South America from Spanish rule. Bolívar is seen as “the single most important leader of Spanish American independence” (113). In 1819, Bolívar and his patriot army traversed through the plains of Venezuela, arriving in Colombia. In Colombia, the patriots defeated the Spanish royalists “at Pantano de Vargas and the Bridge of Boyocá” (Bingham 329). These battles, known as the battles of Vargas’ swamp and Boyocá are important as they lead to Colombian independence (Carrillo 113, Bingham 329).

A Colombian royalist who greatly opposed Bolívar’s rise to power was the Bishop of Cartagena, Gregorio José Rodríguez Carrillo (1769-1839) (“Gregorio José Rodriguez Carrillo”). In his political message, A King of Cups (written the same year as the battles of Vargas’ swamp and Boyocá), he writes to the Spanish American people, arguing King Ferdinand VII of Spain (1784-1833) should be respected as the leader of Spanish America and that Simón Bolívar is “inhumane,” (Carrillo 114) trying to rob Ferdinand of his leadership position, and poses dangers to the Spanish American people (113-116).

Carrillo uses religion to unify his audience under the rule of Ferdinand. He claims Ferdinand is “loved by all peoples and protected by God” and that the Spanish American people “are a great family under” Ferdinand’s rule (Carrillo 114). While Carrillo uses religion to unite his audience towards Ferdinand, he also uses religion to turn them against Bolívar. Specifically, Carrillo critiques Bolívar’s lack of religious affiliation, claiming Bolívar’s time in Paris led him to “turn from Chiristian to atheist, from man to beast” (115). Carrillo also uses fatalistic thinking in an attempt to play on his audience’s fear. He describes Bolívar as someone who disrupts national unity, “pit[ting]” people “against” each other (115). Carrillo then claims Bolívar’s rule will lead to the demolition of society, saying “you fall, your children die, your towns burn, your fields are destroyed” (116). Carrillo’s words are important in understanding the extreme level of opposition and fear that royalist elites felt towards the Latin American independence movement.

Works Cited

Bingham, Hiram. “On the Route of Bolivar’s Great March: Caracas to Bogotá Viâ Arauca and the Paramo of Pisva.” The Geographical Journal 32, no. 4 (1908): 329-47. Accessed April 7, 2021. doi:10.2307/1776922.

Carrillo, Gregorio José Rodríguez, and Bishop of Cartagena. “A King of Cups.” In The Colombia Reader: History, Culture, Politics, edited by López Ana María Gómez, Farnsworth-Alvear Ann, and Palacios Marco, 113-17. Durham; London: Duke University Press, 2017. Accessed April 7, 2021. doi:10.2307/j.ctv125jtrj.22.

Chasteen, John C. “Independence.” In Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America, edited by Jon Durbin, 4th ed., 95-125. New York: W.W. Norton, 2016.

“Gregorio José Rodríguez Carillo”. Real Academia de la Historia. Accessed April 7, 2021. http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/54360/gregorio-jose-rodriguez-carrillo.