Simon bolivar y puerto rico: Bolivar planned to take Puerto Rico to cut supply line to Spain

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February 12, 2023
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Bolivar planned to take Puerto Rico to cut supply line to Spain

Dic. 8, 2014 1:04 PM PT

San Juan, Dec 8 (EFE). —

Simon Bolivar planned to conquer the Spanish Caribbean in the first quarter of the 19th century to cut the supply lines with the mother country, a plan that was frustrated due to illness and that could have changed the course of history, Spanish writer Fermin Goñi claims in his latest book.

The author, who is in San Juan to present his book on Bolivar “Todo llevara su nombre” (Everything will bear his name), said Monday in an interview with Efe that the Venezuelan politician and military leader had devised a plan to snatch Puerto Rico from the Spaniards given that it was an island with significant strategic value for the control of the colonial Americas.

“Puerto Rico was the key from the strategic point of view for the supply line between Spain and its American colonies,” said the author, who is also a journalist, noting that taking control of the Caribbean island was part of a plan that included the capture of Cuba, a move that would have inflicted the coup de grace on the mother country’s activities in the New World.

“If Bolivar had not suffered from tuberculosis he would have gone to Puerto Rico,” said the writer, who in recent years has specialized in the study of the great American forefathers.

“It would have meant taking the San Felipe del Morro castle, which nobody had taken up to then,” said Goñi, who is convinced that taking control of a military bastion like San Juan would have led to the unraveling of Spanish power in the Caribbean more than half a century before it finally occurred.

Goñi said that Puerto Rico was not a completely strange territory to Bolivar, given that the Venezuelan military man had been to the islandmunicipality of Vieques which is part of the larger island in 1816 during a resupply stopover en route to Haiti.

Bolivar died on Dec. 17, 1830, in the Colombian town of Santa Marta from complications of tuberculosis, from which he had suffered for years, and so his plan that could have meant Spain’s early exit from the Caribbean region came to nought.

As history unfolded, Cuba and Puerto Rico remained the property of Spain until Madrid’s defeat in the SpanishAmerican War in 1898.

The idea of invading Puerto Rico, and afterwards Cuba, appears in the correspondence between Bolivar and Diego Ibarra, the Venezuelan army commander during that country’s war for independence.

Goñi said that his speculation and analysis is backed by his critical reading of some 16,000 pages of Bolivar’s correspondence, significant historical source material on which he based his novel.

Published in the Americas by Roca Editorial, Goñi’s work on Bolivar follows three other books he has published in recent years: “Los sueños de un libertador” (2009), “Una muerte de libro” (2011) and “El secreto de mi jardin” (2013).

Estudios sobre el Libertador Simón Bolívar | Hispanic American Historical Review

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Book Review|
May 01 1967

Estudios sobre el Libertador Simón Bolívar

. By Chardón, Carlos E..

Río Piedras

1966

Editorial Universitaria. Universidad de Puerto Rico

. Pp.

124

J. Leon Helguera

Hispanic American Historical Review (1967) 47 (2): 272.

https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-47.2.272

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J. Leon Helguera; Estudios sobre el Libertador Simón Bolívar. Hispanic American Historical Review 1 May 1967; 47 (2): 272. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/00182168-47.2.272

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The late Carlos E. Chardón, a Puerto Rican student of the Independence period in northern South America and a man well acquainted with both Colombia and Venezuela, left, among other unpublished writings, the two essays and appendix which form this book. The first essay, an interpretative examination of the historical role of Francisco de Miranda, treats the Precursor sympathetically and views him as a necessary prelude, setting the scene for the emergence of the dynamic Simón Bolívar. Chardón’s Miranda is a man whose foibles and failures are outshone by his globetrotting and his constant efforts on behalf of Spanish American independence. Much of the contents of this essay appeared in the author’s El Precursor Francisco de Miranda: Introducción a Bolívar (Mayagüez, 1964).

In the second essay, Chardón attempts to portray Simón Bolívar’s actions and attitudes during 1812-1814, including the time when he was serving under Miranda in the First Republic. Like many before him, Chardón is intrigued by the change which occurred in the future Liberator’s spirit between July and December 1812. The fast-moving events of the Admirable Campaign of 1813 and the disastrous demise of the Second Republic of Venezuela in 1814 are compared wherever possible to the earlier experiences of Miranda, and Bolívar’s War to the Death Decree of June 15, 1813 is strongly condemned. The appendix is a short consideration of the loss of Puerto Cabello by Bolívar (June 30, 1812) and the deep impression that this event made on his life.

Based upon the standard secondary sources, this little volume adds no new facts to the biographies of Miranda or Bolívar. Its main theme, running consistently throughout the text, is Chardón’s effort to apply Wilhelm Lange-Eichbaum’s criteria of the genius in history to Miranda and to Bolívar. On the whole, this small book is refreshing if not overly profound.

1967

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Simon Bolivar: man and hat

Anyone who studied at a Russian school knows Pushkin’s lines: “Putting on a wide bolivar, Onegin goes to the boulevard. ” Anyone who looked into the commentary on “Eugene Onegin” knows that the headdress was called the bolivar. However, little is known to the general public what kind of headdress this is and, most importantly, what relation it has to the South American hero Simon Bolivar. Let’s try to figure it out.

Self-portrait with Onegin on the banks of the Neva. Alexander Pushkin, 1824 (pushkinskij-dom.livejournal.com)
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Simon Bolivar, or rather Simon José Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar (with such an emphasis!) de la Concepción y Ponte Palaciosi Blanco, was born into a noble Creole family in Caracas in 1783. He lost his parents early, at the age of 16 he went to Madrid to get an education, returned to his homeland three years later and soon left for Europe again, where he traveled a lot, studying various sciences and comprehending Masonic wisdom.

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In 1805, Bolivar visited the United States for educational purposes, where, as historians believe, he developed his plan for the liberation of South America from Spanish rule and the creation of a truly democratic state with a republican form of government on its territories. Upon returning to his homeland, Bolivar took an active part in the patriotic movement against the Spanish colonizers. In 1811, Venezuela, liberated from the Spaniards, was proclaimed a republic.

Thanks to the efforts of Bolivar, José de San Martin and other patriots, by the end of the 1820s. independence from the Spanish crown was gained not only by Venezuela, but also by modern Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Chile, that is, almost all Spanish colonies in America, with the exception of Cuba and Puerto Rico.
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Bolivar himself in 1821 was elected president of the Republic of Great Colombia, which included Venezuela, and in 1825 – the first president of Bolivia. However, the political and administrative successes of Bolívar turned out to be more modest than the military ones. His plan to create a Southern United States from the states of Latin America on the model of the United States failed, and he himself was completely accused of dictatorial habits and the intention to create an empire in South America like Napoleon’s.

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Simon Bolivar. (Wikimedia Commons)

One way or another, the name of Bolivar in the first quarter of the 19th century. thundered all over the world, and he himself became the idol of the youth, almost the same as Che Guevara after the success of the Cuban revolution. It was in his honor that modern Bolivia and many more provinces, cities and villages in different parts of South America were named. The inhabitants of Guiana, or rather their rulers, renamed the capital of the state, the city of Angostura, into Bolivarograd (Ciudad Bolívar). The name of the hero was given to the national currencies of both Bolivia and Venezuela. Numerous monuments to Libertador, that is, the Liberator (the official title of Bolívar given to him first by the municipality of Caracas and then by the National Congress of Venezuela) appeared on the squares of cities and villages.
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It is not surprising that a wide-brimmed hat, about the same as that worn by Bolívar’s supporters, became popular in the 1810s and 1820s. incredibly popular in Europe, which was experiencing a crisis of the liberal idea and the triumph of reaction. Victor Hugo in his novel Les Misérables recorded in contemporary France a “hat” confrontation between royalists and liberals – respectively, “morillo” (named after the Spanish general Pablo Morillo) and “bolivars”. The Holy Alliance was seriously preparing for intervention in the countries of South America in order to suppress the struggle for independence.
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So at that time in any European capital, decorating your head with a bolivar was like going out onto the streets of Moscow in 2011 with a white ribbon, especially since both men’s and women’s hats were called bolivars. Men’s, made of black satin, most of all resembled a top hat. Contemporaries noted: “All the dandies of that time wore their top hats only with wide brim à la Bolivar.” By the way, the aristocrat Bolivar, despite his democratic convictions, was never noticed in an addiction to either a top hat or a common people’s hat, instead of which he usually wore a two-cornered hat.
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Illustration from a French fashion magazine, 1809 (pushkinskij-dom.livejournal.com)

Like any fashion, the passion for bolivars turned out to be fleeting. In the second half of the 1820s, these hats fell out of fashion, giving way to classic top hats. Yes, and France, the trendsetter, in 1830 launched a new revolution, pitting royalists and Bolivars against each other in real life and forcing the unpopular Charles X to abdicate.
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Simon Bolivar survived the fashion for hats of his own name, having completely retired in 1830 and died soon after, being obsessed with the idea of uniting new South American state formations even before his death. A year later, Alexander Pushkin finished his “novel in verse”, perpetuating the name of the famous liberator general for the Russian reader, albeit in the form of a mention of a headdress.

However, fame overtook Bolivar after his death and does not let go even today. There are dozens of novels and films dedicated to the famous Libertador. And in 2010, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez began construction of a luxurious mausoleum for the remains of Bolivar and even ordered a mahogany coffin adorned with precious stones. In 2013, the mausoleum, designed for a simultaneous visit of 1,500 people, was opened to visitors.
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Simon Bolivar – Great Liberator of America

“I will not rest until I break the chains of Spanish domination in America,” vowed in his youth the Venezuelan leader, who in 1812 led the struggle for independence in Spanish America. nine0003

“Bolivar cannot be looked over his shoulder, either as a general, or as a statesman, or as a writer, legislator or tribune. Bolivar is one of the most complex and beautiful images of humanity,” the Venezuelan writer and politician Rufino Blanco Fombona wrote about the Great Libertador in 1920. Perhaps this is one of the most apt definitions of the Liberator, since it presents him not as a messiah or a Homeric demigod, but as a person of a very complex life and, therefore, interesting to study. nine0003

His life was full of hardships that led him to the destination we all know. Of course, there is some hagiography in Blanco Fombona’s definition, but when it comes to Bolívar, it’s hard to find a commentary that isn’t tinged with passion for this person, friend or foe.

Orphan and Rebel

Simon Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar y Ponte Palacios y Blanco was born on July 24, 1783 in Caracas. His parents belonged to two important families of Caracas, “masters of the valley”, descendants of the Creole founders of the city and occupied the highest echelon of the social pyramid during the colonial period. It seemed that everything was ready for Simon and his brothers to manage the large property of the family, as it had been for the previous two centuries. nine0003

But soon misfortunes began to come one after another: when Simon was 3 years old, his father dies, and at the age of nine he loses his mother, who never showed him great affection. Simon remains in the care of his grandfather Feliciano Palacios.

“The orphan with the promised great wealth, the alleged heir to vast plantations, slavery and houses, did not have a happy childhood and a systematic education,” writes one of his biographers Arturo Uslar Pietri, despite the fact that the grandfather was looking for the best teachers in his city for his grandson . nine0003

But his rebellious nature became an insurmountable barrier in matters of education. When Simon was 12 years old, he ran away from the house of his mentor Carlos Palacius to his sister Maria Antonia. But young Bolivar could not dispose of his life so carelessly, because he had a large fortune behind him. And through the court, which determined the manager of his inheritance, Simon was forcibly transferred to the house of the teacher, his namesake Simon Rodriguez.

According to the youth’s tutor, Bolívar’s new teacher was “a subject of honesty and notorious skill, and being appointed to educate children, he will comfortably educate them in his own house, which is quite comfortable and spacious.” nine0003

Fortunately, Simon Rodriguez, a self-taught teacher who was appointed by the chapter of Caracas to a primary school for children, turned out to be the most suitable teacher for the young Bolívar. He quickly realized that his new student needed a different approach, because his curiosity was nurtured in an atmosphere of lack of love, which affected his character.

Whether it was the result of Rodriguez’s original pedagogical methodology, or because the young man himself decided so, the relationship between teacher and student paid off. Bolivar said that his teacher “explains more cheerfully,” but Rodriguez’s strategy can be defined as “teaching is not educating. ” nine0003

In 1799, when his grandfather died, Bolivar was sent to study in Madrid, where he stayed at the house of the Marquis Ustariz in Atocha Street. In the Spanish capital, the young man received an education appropriate to his age: foreign languages, dances, mathematics, history, the art of riding.

In Madrid, Simon met a young girl, Maria Teresa Rodriguez del Toro, with whom he fell madly in love. Despite initial resistance from the girl’s father, in 1802 the young people got married and left for Venezuela. Bolivar was already quite capable of managing his haciendas. nine0003

But once again in the life of Simón Bolivar, things did not go as originally planned. Maria Theresa was unable to withstand the climate of the tropics and after only 8 months she died of a severe fever.

Inevitable obligation

Devastated by grief, he returned to Spain, but haunted by sad memories, he soon moves to Paris, where he leads a frivolous life, making full use of his fortune. However, Bolivar’s extravagant life in France was quickly interrupted when his beloved teacher from Caracas arrived there. nine0003

Simon Rodriguez explained to the young man that he was wasting his life and convinced him to start studying the fundamental works of literature of the time, especially Charles de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire and other encyclopedists. He also suggested that the young man visit Italy to restore emotional stability. This journey will give 2 more episodes that greatly changed the life of Simon Bolivar.

The first gift of fate was the opportunity to see near Napoleon Bonaparte, his adored hero, now King of Italy, who, however, was sharply criticized when in 1804 he was crowned Emperor in Paris. nine0003

And the second episode, perhaps somewhat idealized in Rodriguez’s descriptions, known as the Oath of the Sacred Mountain, when Bolivar, kneeling at Aventino in Rome, proclaimed: “I will not rest my hand and sword until the day when we cut the chains of Spanish domination who oppress us. ”

From now on, his life takes on a new vector. The next 20 years were marked by his military and political triumph, which led to the process of South American independence.

In 1806, Francisco Miranda unsuccessfully invaded Coro, located on the coast of Venezuela, to start a liberation uprising. Although the adventure ended in failure, this daring act filled Bolívar with hope as he returned to Venezuela. nine0003

At the same time, in 1808, Napoleon puts his brother José (Jose) on the throne of Spain, which provokes a war and plunges the Iberian Peninsula into convulsions until 1814. The Spanish usurpation created bitter discontent in the American colonies, leading to a separatist movement in Caracas in 1810 and the signing of the Act of Independence the following year.

Simón Bolivar’s public life began at the same time. His speeches in the Patriotic Society of Caracas were distinguished by ardent calls for independence, and soon he joins the army under the command of Francisco Miranda with the rank of colonel to defend the independent Republic of Venezuela from the Spaniards. nine0003

Collapse of two Republics

The First Republic, “la patria bob”, lasted no more than two years: the Spanish army was better trained and better equipped than the Venezuelan one, so Spain quickly established its laws.

Simon Bolivar himself made a very serious mistake by leaving ammunition and weapons at the mercy of the enemies in Puerto Cabello Square, after which Miranda had no choice but to capitulate in order to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. The depressed Bolivar then wrote to his general: “After I have exhausted all my moral and physical strength, I dare to take up a pen to write to you that the Puerto Cabello square was lost through my fault. My heart is broken”. nine0003

Francisco Miranda went to talks with the commander of the Spanish army, Domingo de Monteverde, on issues of surrender. He accepted the harsh terms of surrender because he had no other choice. But many companions considered him a traitor. The former rage of the old general began to fade, and on July 31, 1812, for reasons that are still not clear to this day, Miranda surrendered to the Spaniards, who had been waiting for the opportunity to arrest him for 30 years. Soon, in 1816, the general died in a Spanish prison. Bolívar himself witnessed this arrest and learned from this failure. He concluded for himself: “Leadership is everything!” And followed this motto for the next 15 years. nine0003

Victory of Bolivar

Despite everything going on around him, Simon Bolivar decided to follow his dream of Independence. In August 1812 he fled to Curaçao, and in October moved to Cartagena de Indias. His goal was to liberate New Granada at the same time as Venezuela. He then writes the first of his great political documents, The Cartagena Manifesto, in which he speaks of the conquest of Caracas as a fundamental step for the Independence of all South America and the formation of a new state called Colombia. nine0003

Bolivar then becomes the protagonist of one of the most important military feats of history, the Amazing Campaign, which resulted in the proclamation of the Second Venezuelan Republic. This victorious event began on May 14, 1813, with decisive and risky action, when Bolivar and his army crossed the rocky peaks of the Venezuelan Andes on horseback and advanced on Caracas. In this campaign, he fully revealed his qualities as a military leader.

In Trujillo, he proclaims his famous “War to the Death”, with the intention of giving the war a new turn and a national dimension. Spaniards and Canarians! You can count on death even if you are indifferent and if you do nothing for the freedom of America! Americans! Count on life, even if you feel guilty!” nine0003

After several victorious battles (Cucuta, Nikitao, Los Horcones), the patriot army took Valencia, San Carlos and La Victoria and in August 1813 solemnly entered Caracas. Simón Bolivar was proclaimed Captain-General of the Army of New Granada and Venezuela, and the Municipality granted him the title of Liberator.

However, after celebrating the victory, Bolívar expected indiscipline and internal strife in his troops. He was forced to use his power, sometimes even cruelly, so that his whole campaign would not fail. He also had to face a coalition of enemies of Independence: llaneros, guerrilla bands led by the Asturian Jose Thomas Boves, who feared brutal reprisals against enemies and the Spanish army, reinforced after the arrival of the new captain, General Juan Manuel Cahigal. nine0003

The patriot army, pursued from all sides, was forced to emigrate to the east of the country with almost the entire population of Caracas … This was the end of the Second Republic.

The Liberator went to Bogota and Cartagena, and from there to Kingston, where he wrote his famous “Letter from Jamaica”, in which, according to Uslar Pietri, “described the most complete and dazzling picture of the situation and the future of the continent.” Bolivar then traveled to Haiti, where he met with the President of the Republic of Haiti, Alexandre Pétion, who offered generous assistance to the Liberator. nine0003

Despite the defeat and fears of other leaders of the Independence movement, Bolivar insisted on retaining the post of Supreme Commander of the Army with the strong support of some generals (Jose Antonio Paez in Los Llanos, Manuel Piar in Guiana) and managed to give new impetus to the struggle.

Thus, in 1817, after landing on the island of Margarita, he took Guiana, making it an impregnable base for his operations and easy communication with the interior and coastal regions thanks to the Orinoco River. Founded the first newspaper Correo del Orinoco and convened a congress in 1819year in the city of Angostura, where he proclaimed the most important of his political messages, the “Angostura Speech”.

Bolivar then successfully led one of his most famous campaigns: the liberation of New Granada (now Colombia). At the head of an army of about 3,000 men, he repeated the feat of 1813 and crossed the peaks of the Andes during the rainy season. This came as a big surprise to the Spanish army led by Brigadier José Maria Barreiro, which helped the Liberator win the Battle of Boyaco on August 7, 1819of the year.

Returning to Angostura, Bolivar approved the Constitution of the Republic of Colombia (in history as Great Colombia), which united Venezuela and Colombia. However, Venezuela still remained in the hands of the Spaniards.

The establishment of a liberal regime in Spain in 1820 enabled the start of a negotiation process in which intermediate formulas were proposed between Spanish sovereignty and independence. But Bolivar did not accept a single offer from Spain. And in June 1821, a resounding victory in the Carabobo plain, not far from Caracas, secured the Independence of Venezuela. One of the heroes of this battle was Pedro Camejo, the “First Negro”, a brave warrior who did not give up his last breath until he said goodbye to General Paez. nine0003

The Cúcuta Congress elected Bolivar President of Colombia and granted him great executive powers, ratified the model of a centralized state in which the extremes of monarchy and democratic anarchy had to be avoided.

Defeat of Spain

Bolivar continued his efforts to expand the territory of the newly established Republic. Ecuador was next. In 1822, during his forced march towards Quito, he defeated the Spanish troops at Bombona. This victory was given to him with heavy losses. Therefore, we had to stop briefly to wait for reinforcements. nine0003

Meanwhile, one of his most beloved generals, Antonio José de Sucre, whom he called “Avila America”, won a brilliant victory in the foothills of the Pichincha volcano, liberating the Viceroyalty of Peru, and Bolivar annexed Guayaquil.

In the south, José Francisco de San Martin, who had successfully resisted the Spanish in Argentina and Chile, proclaimed himself “Protector of Peru” in imitation of Bolivar, with the intention of achieving independence for the entire continent. After the liberation of Chile and with the support of the fleet of English adventurers Lord Thomas Cochrane, San Martin landed in Lima and created the Protectorate, which caused great distrust on the part of the city’s conservative public. nine0003

The rapid advance of Bolívar’s army forced San Martin to attend a conference between the two leaders in Guayaquil on July 27, 1822. As a result of the negotiations, San Martin gave way to the Liberator, gave him the opportunity to enter the country in order to continue his war for independence.

In 1824, at the battle of Junin, Bolívar’s army defeated the Spanish army under the command of General José de Canterac. It was a curious battle only with the help of a spear and a saber, because when Bolívar decided to bring the grenadiers into action, the battle ended and the Spanish troops began to retreat to Cuzco. nine0003

At the same time, Bolivar’s associate Antonio José Sucre and his troops defeated the army of the last Peruvian governor of Spain, José de la Serna, Count of the Andes, at the Battle of Ayacucho in December 1824.

With these victories, a long cycle of battles ended and the War of Independence was successfully completed. 12 years of fighting allowed Bolivar and his army of patriots to concentrate on victory and finally drive the troops of Ferdinand VII from South America. Spain has no more possessions on the mainland, and before the end of the century she will also lose Cuba and Puerto Rico. nine0003

The end of a dream

The war was over, but the political intrigue was just beginning. Bolívar was at the pinnacle of his career and shone as the Liberator of the entire continent. Great Colombia, which presided, grouped into one country a huge space in the northern half of South America, the territory of the current states: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama. Peru and Bolivia, which had liberated themselves and with the help of General Sucre, remained in their orbit.

But Bolivar went even further. In 1818 he dreamed: “A United America, if heaven grants us this coveted vow, we may call her Queen of Nations and Mother of Republics.” Being already president of Colombia, he imagined an “American League” that would unite into a single republic with other independent Spanish-American states (Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina) into a federation that would have its own weighty place in international politics. nine0003

But soon his old comrades become enemies: José Antonio Paez left him, Francisco Santander was a zealous opponent of Bolivar on many issues, as a result of which he was removed from office, and Santa Cruz completely withdrew the Bolivarian constitution in Peru. Overwhelmed by imperial doubts, in 1828, after a conspiracy in Bogota, which almost cost him his life, Bolivar proclaimed a complete dictatorship.

Angry with quarrels, ambitions of former associates and political crimes, disappointed in his companions and saying that he “plowed the sea”, in January 1830 Simon Bolivar convenes a congress at which he submits his irrevocable resignation. A few months later, his united republic collapsed, leaving behind a number of independent countries ruled by military caudillos. nine0003

Twenty years of wrestling and horseback riding throughout the continent undermined the health and vitality of this “beautiful specimen of Humanity”, who devoted his life to fulfilling the oath that he took with his teacher at the foot of Mount Aventino.

The Great Liberator died in Santa Marta on December 17, 1830, in complete poverty, away from public life, accused of an excessive desire for power, cruelly persecuted by his envious opponents. The last wish of his political testament testifies to the greatness and courage of Bolívar, who thought about the fate of the continent, even on his deathbed: “If my death helps to end the divisions and strengthen the union, I will calmly descend into the grave.” nine0003

War of Destruction

Speaking of the victories and results of the liberation epic of Bolivar, one should not forget about the less positive side of the process: first of all, the suffering of the civilian population. In Venezuela alone, it is estimated that 300,000 people died during the war, equivalent to a third of the population.

Battles and skirmishes

The fighting units that Bolivar recruited did not exceed 2,000 – 3,000 people for each company, they showed exceptional mobility, as evidenced, for example, by the campaign for the liberation of Ecuador. nine0003

Often “battles” were reduced to surprise attacks that lasted only a couple of hours and brought very few losses, as happened in Boyaca. However, in Bombona, the patriots lost 1,300 people, which amounted to half the detachment.

Execution of prisoners

90,002 Soldiers who were arrested during the fighting were often shot on the spot. Bolivar himself, following his slogan “War to the death”, ordered in 1814 to shoot 866 Spanish soldiers captured in La Guaira. In 1816, 600 people were executed in Bogota as part of the Spanish campaign of repression. This practice horrified the British volunteers who arrived in Venezuela. nine0003

Looting and killing of civilians

The civilian population of Venezuela suffered the most from the conflict. In 1813 and 1814, Beauvais and the Llaneros (the guerrillas of the Los Llanes region, many of whom were Indians and Negroes) destroyed entire settlements, such as Valencia, using horrendous sadistic methods.

The Spanish General Pablo Morillo in 1817 issued a decree for his soldiers: “Burn the cities, behead the inhabitants, devastate the country, do not respect age and gender” …

Murder and revenge

Assassinations, attacks and political assassinations have been on the agenda throughout the independence process. Bolívar was assassinated several times. During his stay in Jamaica, a servant bribed by the Spaniards wounded Bolívar’s friend while he was sleeping, thinking he was the Liberator.

90,002 Sucre was killed in an ambush in 1830.

Bolivar himself did not disdain this, when in 1817 he ordered the execution of Piar for insubordination, thus wanting to get rid of his rival.