Battle of Las Piedras

Battle of Las Piedras for the year 2023 is celebrated/observed on Thursday, May 18th. There are until the next observance.

On May 18, the Battle of Las Piedras is one of the most important public holidays in the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. Uruguayan rebels headed by the legendary José Gervasio Artigas overcame Spanish imperialists on this day in 1811, opening the path for the country’s independence. Las Piedras was no ordinary fight; it was the lifeline of Latin America’s eroding revolution. Victory in Las Piedras highlighted the strength of public resistance. For the first time in maybe a long time, the oppressed people saw fresh possibilities and vistas. Artigas and his soldiers offered indigenous peoples throughout the world hope. The Las Piedras mentality fueled revolutionary movements, leading to the establishment of an independent Uruguay.

📆 When is Battle of Las Piedras?

This year, Battle of Las Piedras is on May 18th. It is the 3rd Thursday in May; in 2024, it is on Saturday.

→ Did you know: Uruguay became the first country to legalize cannabis on a countrywide scale in 2013.

You can also explore all interesting things you didn’t know about and facts about May 18, 2023.

📜 History of Battle of Las Piedras

By the 19th century, Europe was a distinctly different continent. All around the continent, raucous demands for independence and self-determination were heard. Spanish dominance in Buenos Aires was decisively terminated by the May Revolution of 1810 in Latin America, compelling them to escape and move their headquarters to Banda Oriental, or Montevideo in modern-day Uruguay. The commander of the Uruguayan army, José Gervasio Artigas, was pursuing them. He immediately pursued the Spanish with less than 200 troops. But as the combat started, his force had swelled to over a thousand soldiers.

Jose Posadas, the royalist army’s leader, had plans to incite the revolutionaries to battle. On May 18, 1811, Posadas marched his troops to the Las Piedras battleground because he was confident he would win. Posadas quickly learned that the day’s good fortune went to the courageous, not the foolish. After suffering a number of setbacks, Artigas’ soldiers thrashed the Spanish, giving the rebels the victory they urgently needed. After the Battle of Las Piedras, morale and spirit went up, which was a turning point in the fight for freedom and led to Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina getting their independence.

For his day, Artigas was an uncommon military leader. He was kind to captive prisoners and even gave his men orders to treat injured combatants from all sides. Artigas adhered to the principle of “Clemencia para los vencidos,” or “showing mercy for the conquered,” which has come to represent his legacy. The people of Uruguay commemorate their revered national hero and the successful conflict that contributed to the achievement of their nation’s independence every year in May.

☑️ Battle of Las Piedras facts

✅ A champion of sustainability
Uruguay was already generating electricity from renewable sources before sustainability was hip.

✅ An unusual official name
The republic is known as the “Oriental Republic of Uruguay” since it is located on the Uruguay River’s eastern bank.

✅ Some houses have first names
In Uruguay, Spanish immigrants give their houses charming first names like “Tango” or “Cualquiera,” which mean “anything.”

✨ Things to do on Battle of Las Piedras

⚡ Read up on José Gervasio Artigas
Did you know that before becoming a rebel, Artigas worked as a cattle herder, or “gaucho”? In certain ways, he fulfilled the idea of the gaucho as a Uruguayan folk icon, analogous to the American cowboy and the Spanish “vaquero.” Today is an excellent day to learn more about Uruguay’s national hero.

⚡ Attend the parades
People come to the streets in Paraguay today, a state holiday, to see several school and military parades. It’s the finest method to learn about history while having fun.

⚡ Have a barbeque and make it ‘asado’
Uruguayans take their BBQ seriously, so make sure to go all out. Consider huge meat pieces, chorizo, and zingy chimichurri.

📅 Battle of Las Piedras Observances

View all May holidays, including Federal and other Festivities holidays.

We will continue to update this page with new information and fun facts about Battle of Las Piedras. So be sure to check back soon.