When is Martín Miguel de Güemes Day?
Martín Miguel de Güemes Day is a public holiday in Argentina, observed on June 17th.
This day honours Martín Miguel de Güemes, a 19th-century military leader, on the anniversary of his death in 1821.
History of Martín Miguel de Güemes Day
Martín Miguel de Güemes was born in Salta to a wealthy on February 8th 1785.
After the 1810 May Revolution, Güemes was given command of a guerrilla force of gauchos, that became known as "Los Gauchos de Güemes,". During the early years of the war of independence, their mission was to defend northwestern Argentina against Spanish invasions from royalist Peru.
He played an important role in the Battle of Suipacha in November 1810, which was the first military victory for Argentine patriots in the war.
Güemes was a haemophiliac (see beard, above) who had suffered a serious throat infection in his early twenties that left him with difficulties in speaking in later life.
His success in repelling Spanish attacks, helped the fledgeling revolutionary government become established in Buenos Aires. It also helped give General José de San Martín the time to raise his "Army of the Andes", which he marched over the mountains to win decisive victories in Chile and Peru.
The "Hero of the Gauchos" died on June 17th 1821, after having been shot in the back 10 days earlier.
