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

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

'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 1819 *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 general. Biography Morillo was born in Fuentesecas, Zamora, Spain. In 1791 ...

during the

Spanish reconquest of New Granada The Spanish Invasion of New Granada in 1815–1816 was part of the Spanish American wars of independence in South America. Shortly after the Napoleonic Wars ended, Ferdinand VII, recently restored to the throne in Spain, decided to send milit ...

. 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, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

Jose Diaz, as part of the army of the United Provinces of New Granada commanded by General Antonio Baraya. On December 8, 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 (Santa Fé de Bogotá, Colombia 1765 – 1824 Villa de Leyva, Colombia)Hector, M., and A. Ardila. Hombres y mujeres en las letras de Colombia. 2. Bogota: Magisterio, 2008. 25. Print. was a C ...

. On 29 June 1816, he fought in the battle of Cuchilla del Tambo 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''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...

. On July 10, 1816, Salas 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 of the Department of Huila. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River in south central Colombia with a population of about 357,392 inhabitants. It is one of the most important cities in southern Colombia, mainly ...

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

Hacienda An ''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 ( es, Aeropuerto Benito Salas, ) 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 ...

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 {{Colombia-bio-stub