Thus, in March 1813, the centralist leader of Cundinamarca, Antonio Nariño, and the federalist Congress of the United Provinces of New Granada decided to assist the Venezuelan troops commanded by Simón Bolívar and José Félix Ribas, who would undertake the so-called Admirable Campaign against Venezuela.

He continued his invasion into the Cauca Valley and by the 18th he was in Cali and on August 5 he reached Cartago were he defeated a small column of patriots under the command of Lt.

This ended up being a mistake as: "if he had only deployed a column of 400 men to march north, he would have taken over the rich province of Antioquia without firing a shot, but, given the weakness of the patriots in the region, he considered the campaign over.

These events alerted Nariño, who marched south on 21 September, leaving his uncle Manuel de Bernardo Álvarez,as interim president of Cundinamarca in Santafé.

[4] Sámano regrouped at the Calibío hacienda where he was reinforced with troops commanded by Colonel Ignacio Asín, an officer known for his successive triumphs over the independentists in the region.

[5] Sámano fled with the remains of his army to Pasto, where he was relieved of command by order of the governor of Quito Toribio Montes and replaced by Lieutenant General Melchor Aymerich.