Benito Salas Vargas (1770 – 18 September 1816) was a military and social leader during

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

's (then known as

New Granada New Granada may refer to various former national denominations for the present-day country of Colombia: *New Kingdom of Granada, from 1538 to 1717 *Viceroyalty of New Granada, from 1717 to 1810, re-established from 1816 to 1822 *United Provinces of ...

) independence war (1810–1819). He fought against

Pablo Morillo Pablo Morillo y Morillo, Count of Cartagena and Marquess of La Puerta, a.k.a. ''El Pacificador'' (The Peace Maker) (5 May 1775 – 27 July 1837) was a Spanish military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and in the Spanish American I ...

during the

Spanish reconquest of New Granada The Spanish reconquest of New Granada in 1815–1816 was part of the Spanish American wars of independence in South America and Colombian War of Independence. Shortly after the Napoleonic Wars ended, Ferdinand VII, recently restored to the ...

Biography

In 1811 he joined the forces of

Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Jose Diaz, as part of the army of the United Provinces of New Granada commanded by General Antonio Baraya. On 8 December 1812, in

Timaná Timaná is a town and municipality in the Huila Department, Colombia. The municipality is located in the south of Huila at an altitude of and southwest of the capital Neiva. History The region of Timaná before the conquest in Colombia was in ...

, he swore recognition to the Congress of the United Provinces. He fought with the troops of

Antonio Nariño Antonio Amador José de Nariño y Álvarez del Casal (April 9, 1765 – December 13, 1823),Hector, M., and A. Ardila. Hombres y mujeres en las letras de Colombia. 2. Bogota: Magisterio, 2008. 25. Print. was a Colombian ideological wiktionary:p ...

. On 29 June 1816, he fought in the

Battle of Cuchilla del Tambo The Battle of La Cuchilla del Tambo was fought during the Colombian War of Independence, fought between the Republican troops of New Granada and the expeditionary force of the Spanish crown who came to reconquer its former colony. It took place ...

where the Patriot troops were defeated by the Royalists commanded by

Juan José de Sámano y Uribarri ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking countries around the world and in the Philippi ...

. On 10 July, 1816, Salas Vargas was captured. In September 1816, by order of the Purificación Tribunal, Salas was executedPedro M. Ibáñez http://www.banrepcultural.org/blaavirtual/historia/cronic/cap46.htm in

Neiva Neiva () is the capital and most populated city of the Department of Huila, south central Colombia. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River with a municipal population of 388,299. It is one of the most important cities in southern Co ...

's main square, where his hands and head were exhibited. His head was buried in the terrain which would later become ''La Manguita''

Hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

. In 1936, the Colombian government inaugurated Neiva's airport in the hacienda, and renamed it in 1986 as the

Benito Salas Airport Benito Salas Airport (, ) is an airport that serves the city of Neiva, the capital of the Huila Department in Colombia. It was named after Benito Salas Vargas, a military and social leader during Colombia's (then known as New Granada) independ ...

in honour of Salas.

References

1770 births 1816 deaths Colombian independence activists 19th-century executions by Spain Prisoners and detainees of Spain People from Huila Department Executed Colombian people Social leaders Viceroyalty of New Granada people {{Colombia-bio-stub