Conspiracy of Gual and Spain: The prelude to the Revolution of 1810

Published at: 13/07/2024 08:26 AM

On July 13, 1797, the conspiracy of Gual and Spain, a patriotic movement to free Venezuela from the Spanish yoke organized from La Guaira and Caracas, was unveiled.

This revolutionary project is considered to be the closest prelude to the events of April 19, 1810. It was a reference for struggle throughout the Latin American region for the time.

Led by Manuel Gual, José María España, merchants, browns, blacks and Indians participated in the movement, with the exception of Mantuanos. The patriots called each other: “Brothers”, as a symbol of unity, a four-color cockade (white, blue, yellow and red) was created, which represented the 4 ethnic groups that were involved in it.

The movement was scheduled for the day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, on July 16, however, the merchant Manuel Montesinos Rico, who resided in Caracas, failed to convince the officer of Milicias de Pardos, implying that he would provide patriots with access to the barracks armory on the planned date.

The news about the conspiracy quickly reached Governor Pedro Carbonell's ears on the afternoon of the 13th. Montesinos Rico was arrested, and revolutionary documents were found in his house.

Just as he saw that Montesinos had been arrested, he decided to advance the movement, however, after Patricio Ronán desisted from the movement. He decides to go to the Antilles together with Spain.

226 years after this revolutionary egalitarian, republican and democratic project, the Venezuelan people commemorate the struggles of those pre-independence heroes who gave their lives to see the Free and Sovereign Homeland.

Mazo News Team