Alexandre Pétion, Xavier Mina, and Luis Brión in Haiti, 1816

In October 1816, Haitian President Alexander Pétion hosted a mini-summit that linked the patriot movements of Mexico and South America, the French Caribbean, and US-based privateers. The moment is famous because of the well-known story of the material support that Pétion gave Bolívar in exchange for his promise to liberate the slaves in his territories. But less well-known is the multi-national, multi-lingual, cross-regional and cross-purpose character of that three week series of meetings. Simón Bolívar did not only negotiated with Pétion, he also met with Francisco Xavier Mina, the Spanish guerrilla who was outfitting for an expedition to Mexico, and tried to persuade him to join the South American fight instead. It was also in this Haitian moment when Bolívar’s protegé and ally Luis Brión managed to outflank the French corsair Luis Aury, effectively ending his participation in New Granada’s wars and, eventually, leading Aury to be their bitter rival in Panamá and Honduras. All these interviews taken together reveal that the story of Bolívar’s promise to Pétion took place against a more complex renegotiation of power, promises and alliances, all done with Spanish spies and counter-revolutionaries lurking in their midst.