The situation in Santa Fe could not be hidden for long. Rumors traveled faster than armies, carried by merchants, muleteers, and frightened families fleeing along the mountain roads. By the time the full truth reached Medellín and the surrounding valleys, denial was no longer possible. Fires had been seen from afar, churches looted, estates seized, and men dragged away in chains or left dead in the streets. Faced with the evidence, the great families of Medellín finally accepted Carlos's authority over the local army.
But their decision came too late.
