Atlas of Battles

battle, major, nineteenth century

Battle of Ayacucho

Battle of Ayacucho was a battle fought on 9 December 1824 at Ayacucho, in what is now Peru. It was part of the Spanish American wars of independence, which ran from 1808 to 1833. Recorded strength: 5,780–8,500 against 6,906–9,310; Expeditionary forces: 500 men; 4 cannons.

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Battle of Ayacucho
Martín Tovar y Tovar, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought9 December 1824
WhereAyacucho, Peru13.043S, 74.132W
OutcomePatriot Forces victory; Capitulation of the Royal Army of Peru under command of Viceroy la Serna (siege of the bastions of Chiloé and Callao are extended until 1826); Consolidation of the independence of the Peruvian Republic
BelligerentsPatriots: Peru; Gran ColombiaagainstRoyalists: Spain
Casualties and losses979 killed and woundedand2,500 killed and wounded; 2,000–3,000 captured; 4 cannons captured
Part ofSpanish American wars of independence1808 to 1833

Where it sits in the Spanish American wars of independence

Battle of Suipacha, 1810Battle of Chimbo, 1812Battle of Mocha, 1812Battle of Tucumán, 1812Battle of Ibarra, 1812Battle of Buceo, 1814Second Battle of La Puerta, 1814Battle of Rancagua, 1814Battle of Sipe-Sipe, 1815Los Andes vs Prueba, 1820Battle of Cerro de Pasco, 1820Battle of Ica, 1822Battle of Torata, 1823Battle of Moquegua, 1823Battle of Junín, 1824Second Siege of Callao, 1824Battle of Ayacucho, 1824Battle of Tumusla, 1825Batalla de La Florida, 1825Battle of San Juan de Ulua, 1825Battle of Mariel, 182818101828Battle of Ayacucho, 1824
21 placed engagements of the Spanish American wars of independence in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date9 December 1824
PlaceAyacucho, Peru
13.043S, 74.132W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength5,780–8,5006,906–9,310; Expeditionary forces: 500 men; 4 cannons
Casualties and losses979 killed and wounded2,500 killed and wounded; 2,000–3,000 captured; 4 cannons captured
Commanders
  • José de la Serna, 1st Count of the Andes
  • José de Canterac
Battle of AyacuchoBattle of AyacuchoBattle of PucaráBattle of AbancayBattle of La ConcepciónBattle of PucaráBattle of AbancayBattle of La ConcepciónIcaHuancayoAyacuchoHuancavelicaHuanta100 km13.043S, 74.132W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Ayacucho
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 100 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Ayacucho today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-06-10. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 3,388 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 0 to 4,431 m, 4,431 m of relief, mountainous country and today it is 58% grassland, 23% tree cover, 17% cropland.

grassland: 58%tree cover: 23%cropland: 17%built-up: 2%grassland 58%tree cover 23%cropland 17%built-up 2%
west to east, 10.0 km2,766 to 4,111 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 4,024 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1824

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: SP ARMYDefender: PATRIOT ARMY
Strength9,3105,780
Casualties2,500 (26.9%)919 (15.9%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1029
Outcomedefender won
Duration1 day
Front width4.5 km4.5 km
Attacker advanced0 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 155), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Ayacucho is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 89 in present-day Peru.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q934157, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Ayacucho, revision 1384881517, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.