SUMMARY Biography

Josef Leon Galindo Camacho was born in the town of Velez, in present day central Colombia, in 1795. His early studies were interrupted by the political turmoil resulting primarily from Napoleon’s conquest of the Spanish monarchy in 1808. At the age of 14 he enlisted in one of the several militias of the Socorro region seeking independence from Spanish rule. Beginning in 1813, Simon Bolivar gradually consolidated his control over these militias in the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada and Galindo soon found himself under Bolivar’s command. Galindo rose in rank as he led troops and participated in many of the important battles of the war including Boyaca, Bombona, Junin, and most importantly, at the side of Antonio Jose de Sucre, in the final victorious battle of Ayacucho on December 9, 1824.

In 1826 Galindo was appointed by president Sucre to the post of Prefect of the department of Potosi in the newly created republic of Bolivia. This gave Galindo authority over all military and government functions in the area whose mineral wealth had sustained the Spanish empire for over two centuries, and whose remaining mineral resources represented the hope of the new nation. The city of Potosi had been ravaged by all sides during 16 years of the war, and it was Galindo’s job to put it all back together again. This he did with great efficiency and skill by first reorganizing the tax regime imposed on the mining sector, enabling it to recover quickly and generate sufficient revenues for the national treasury to pay the government’s debts and sustain its activities. He restored order in the city by reorganizing the police force and he successfully navigated fraught relations with the Catholic church, negotiating agreements for the reallocation and disposition of church assets. His promotion of secular public education and control of municipal funding assured the survival of Colegio Pichincha, which remains one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the country. He executed the order of the national legislature and successfully minted the country’s first coinage in 1827. He also fell in love, and married Antonia Arguelles the same year. They thereby both became citizens of their adopted country, although Galindo's citizenship had been previously accorded by the Decree of August 12, 1825. In early 1828, due to domestic political opposition to the presence of Colombian forces in the country, and in anticipation of a foreign invasion by Peru, Galindo was hastily appointed Chief of Staff of the Bolivian armed forces and relocated to the city of La Paz in an attempt to organize a defense. But the Bolivian command structure was in disarray, and the invasion forced a change of regime. As a result of the invasion, Sucre was arrested and held by the Peruvian general Agustin Gamarra in the remote village of Siporo until the Treaty of Piquiza was signed on July 6, 1828. Under the terms of the treaty, Galindo led his troops into exile in Argentina and Sucre left Bolivia the following month.

Galindo was able to return to Bolivia in 1829 to join Antonia in Cochabamba, where the couple had decided to settle and raise a family. During his time in Potosi, Galindo had purchased vast but abandoned agricultural lands in the upper Cochabamba valley and he now dedicated himself entirely to bringing the property back into agricultural production to sustain his family and to support the needs of the region. As a result of his previous military and governmental roles, Galindo remained a citizen of high profile and due to the unstable politics at the time, he was drawn back into public service. He served in appointed positions including Prefect of the department of Cochabamba, as well as elected positions such as member of the city council. He and Antonia had eight children who lived to adulthood, all of whom contributed to the civic life of the city and the country. The oldest, Nestor became an established writer, poet, and political activist at a relatively young age. He was tragically executed for his role in attempting to overthrow president Melgarejo’s regime in 1864, and it was this news that precipitated Galindo’ death three months later in 1865.

Leon Galindo Camacho began his life as a soldier, immersed in the ideas of the Enlightenment and amazed by the advances of the industrial revolution. Imbued with new ideals of nationalism and passions of the romantic age, he followed a military career that enabled him to serve at the highest levels of national defense and administration of an entirely new country. He also became a loyal husband, a doting father, and an entrepreneurial and successful agriculturalist. He remained attuned to the intellectual currents and geopolitical events of his day and was continuously involved in the civic leadership of his community. It is noteworthy that he was one of the very few Colombian officers in Bolivar’s army who chose not to return to his homeland, but to remain in Bolivia instead. Galindo remained a vocal advocate of Bolivar’s and Sucre’s liberal ideals of government and among his many recognitions was the prestigious Legion of Liberators medal presented to him personally by Simon Bolivar. In Cochabamba, he was often addressed by his fellow citizens with the honorific “Libertador”. Although he lived in a different time from our own, his personal victories and disappointments, his family joys and tragedies, and his navigation of military and societal norms enrich our understanding of his life and times, and perhaps by extension, our understanding of our own.