around 1803 he was sent on a mission that took him and his troops all the way the isthmus of panama, where he encountered trouble with the local authorities. on his return to quito he found a city in conflict, divided into two factions: the "capetones", or european-born spaniards, and the criollos (american-born spaniards). the criollo elites resented the way in which the spanish-born were preferred for high-level bureaucratic appointments. salinas joined the group of local criollos that espoused somewhat liberal ideas of self-government. on december 25, 1808, he went to the meeting that the had arranged on his estate in the valley of chillos. here the "revolutionary" group decided to establish a supreme junta to govern the royal audiencia of quito. but only in august 1809 did the group find their opportunity, using napoleon's invasion of spain to justify the creation of an autonomous government in the audiencia. while declaring loyalty to king ferdinand vii of spain, they took power from the appointed spanish representatives. on the morning of august 10 salinas went to the barracks he commanded and convinced the troops that it was their patriotic duty to resist the french usurpation. he took three battalions into the streets to start the revolt and gain effective power in the capital. salinas was given the rank of colonel by the junta, while the marques de selva alegre, somewhat forcedly, was given overall command of the government and the small army. it was a poorly organized and ill-equipped group. the noble (titled) leaders were uncomfortable with the radical turn the revolt had taken, as they had wanted better treatment from madrid, not a complete severing of ties from the mother country.