[2]: 232–235 Under the overall command of General Simon Bolivar, the Brigadier Generals Francisco de Paula Santander and José Antonio Anzoátegui led a combined patriot army of Neogranadines and Venezuelans that defeated in two hours the Spanish Royalist forces led by Spanish Colonels José María Barreiro and Francisco Jiménez who would both be captured in battle.

The battle occurred 150 km from Bogotá in the Andes Mountains, in a place known as Casa de Teja, close to a bridge over the Teatinos River and 3 roads heading to Samaca, Motavita and Tunja, an area which is now part of the Boyacá Department.

To prevent this threat from growing stronger, Viceroy Juan de Samano ordered the commander of the Spanish forces in New Granada–which were the III Division of the Expeditionary Army of Costa Firme, led by artillery Colonel Jose Maria Barreiro to intercept and defeat Bolivar's army to prevent him from reaching the capital of Santa Fe.

The Spanish then rested unaware of Bolivar's feint, as he ordered a nocturnal countermarch crossing the river again and taking the alternate route to the city of Tunja through the Toca Road.

Barreiro would eventually find out about this on August 5 and quickly marched his army southwest, midday he rendezvoused with Governor Juan Lono who provided him with 12,000 cartridges and 3 artillery pieces (2 howitzers and 1 cannon) that had been sent by the Viceroy.

[6] A little after 10 through Colonel Manuel Manrique he ordered that Generals Santander and Anzoategui to immediately set out for Santa Fe along the Camino Real and to destroy Barreiro wherever they may find himUpon receiving this order, General Santander's Vanguard Division set out from Tunja toward Casa de Teja on the Camino Real with Anzoátegui's Rearguard Division following suit.

[7] Between the hours of 12 to 1pm a fraction of the Royalist vanguard which was composed of the 2nd and 3rd Numancia infantry battalions along with some dragoons under the command of Colonel Francisco Jiménez arrived and took up position near the Casa de Teja, from where they could observe the bridge.

General Santander who came marching down the Camino Real with the rest of the patriot vanguard upon seeing this unfold ordered Lieutenant Colonel Joaquín París commander of the Cazadores Battalion to attack the Royalist forces at the Casa Teja.

This charge disrupted the arming of the 3 artillery pieces the Spanish possessed (they had transported them unassembled) only one of them was able to be assembled which allowed it to fire 3 shots before the gun carriage that supported it broke rendering it useless.

[4] Through a messenger, who rode nonstop for 30 hours over the 100 km of bad roads that separated the battlefield from the capital, Viceroy Juan de Samano was informed of Barreiro's defeat around 10 pm on August 8th.

Not wishing to take any chances Samano hastily prepared to abandon the capital and did so at 9:00 am on August 9 bound for Cartagena by way of Honda disguised as a peasant.

[2]: 237 [4]: 103  So hasty was the Viceroy's departure that he failed to destroy important government documents and archives and left behind some 900,000 pesos in gold, silver, and currency.

Earlier that same day at 7:00 am Colonel Sebastian de La Calzada blew up the gunpowder supply in the arsenal and left with the 400 troops who were stationed in the city bound for Popayan.

[2] On 18 September, a victory ceremony was held for the patriot army in the Plaza Mayor, Bolivar was crowned with a laurel wreath given to him by a group of 20 women of the most prestigious families of the city who were all dressed in white.

The consequences of Bolivar's victory at Boyaca bridge lead to large chain of events that would end up changing the history of South America forever.