In 1806 he joined the forces of his province, and accompanied the viceroy Sobremonte in his unsuccessful campaign to reconquer Buenos Aires, during the British invasions of the River Plate.
In 1810, he supported the May Revolution and voted in favour of the recognition of the Primera Junta in the open council held in Salta.
In 1815 he formed a cavalry squad in San Carlos, with which he opened a new front in the interior of the province, fighting against the patriots.
He joined the forces of Joaquín de la Pezuela in his retreat to Upper Peru and participated in two combats in Tarija and Humahuaca.
He remained in the royalist army of Upper Peru for the rest of the War of Independence, reaching the rank of colonel.