A new reading of a specific point in the independence process of the Southern Cone is proposed from a perspective that recognizes the role of the muleteers, particularly in the campaign of the Army of the Andes (1815-1818). As a working hypothesis, considered that the detailed knowledge they had of the Andean landscapes, together with the information networks articulated with grocery stores and tavern keepers, played a relevant role since they not only facilitated the transit of an army but also the circulation of valuable antecedents regarding the enemy forces, necessary for the implementation of military operations. The hypothesis is confronted with the historical documents and sources. It is concluded that the contribution of these subjects was substantial for the success of the liberation campaign in three planes: design of the routes, management of the campaign in the field and articulation of the secret service of the undercover war. Despite their outstanding work, the muleteers were quickly abandoned by the elites and later made invisible by nineteenth-century Chilean and Argentine historiography, which only highlighted the action of the military leaders.