Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Maipu and cavalry in Argentina and Chile


battle of maipu 1818
Salvete Omnes,
Latin American equestrian traditions are 500 years strong, with fine horses bred in the pampas and valleys known as criollo and  apart form the colorful working equestrian traditions epitomized in Chile by the huaso and in Argentina by the gaucho, there are also 200 years old cavalry traditions as well.
on April 5 there was the 200 anniversary of the battle of Maipu (order of the battle) where the rebel Army de los Andes (by the consisting mostly of the Chileans) under general Jose San Martin* defeated the Spanish loyalist forces under general Mariano Osorio and effectively ended the Spanish rule over Chile, the struggle being part of the Latin America wars of independence.
The tradition of cavalry has been preserved in the modern armies of Chile and Argentina, and both countries have regiments of cavalry continuing this tradition.
Celebration of Maipu in Argentina - video links - [1 ] and in Chile [2]


Argentina
 Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo General San Martin - video
 reenactment during the day of the army in Argentina 2015 - video

Chile -


Regimiento granaderos de la Republica de Chile - video,
Regimiento de Caballería n.º 3 "Húsares" de Angol - video
Valete
*San Martin fought at the battle of Albuera, where he perhaps witnessed the annihilation of the British Colborne Brigade by the Polish Vistula Lancers.

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