Spanish American wars of independence important change in strategy after three United Provinces campaigns had been defeated in Upper Peru. San Martín's army became the nucleus of the Army of the Andes, which received crucial political and material support in 1816 when Juan Martín de Pueyrredón became Supreme Director of the United Provinces. In January 1817, San Martín was finally ready to advance against the royalists in Chile. Ignoring an injunction from the congress of the Río de la Plata not to move against Chile, San Martín together with General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, later Supreme Director of Chile, led the Army over the Andes in
San Bernardo, Chile Girardi Lavín (PPD) and Andrés Allamand (RN) as part of the 7th senatorial constituency (Santiago-West). At a national level, San Bernardo is characterized as the capital of Chilean folkloric traditions. This is mainly due to two annual events held in the commune: the “Festival Nacional del Folklore de San Bernardo” (english: San Bernardo’s National Festival of Folklore) and “Abril Cuecas Mil” (english: A Thousand Cuecas April). Festival Nacional del Folklore The Festival Nacional del Folklore de San Bernardo has been held at the end of February since 1972 and draws participants and spectators from all around the country. The festival