Manuel Piar: rebel leader at the service of the independence struggle (+seeding)

On October 16, 1817, in the city of Angostura, today Ciudad Bolívar, Juan Manuel Piar, was placed in front of a military platoon, Juan Manuel Piar, an oriental leader who, given his rebellion and lawlessness against the leadership of the liberating army, was shot in order to guarantee the unity of the patriotic forces fighting the Spanish Empire.

Born in Willemstad, Curaçao, on April 28, 1774, he stood out for his ferocity, strategic capacity and leadership within the independence forces of the south-east of the then Captaincy General of Venezuela, a stronghold that did not yield to the forces of the Spanish Empire after the fall of the Second Republic.

A number of hypotheses have been woven about this distinguished military man about his origin, including the alleged consanguinity with Simón Bolívar, under the hypothesis of being the son of Marcos Ribas (father of José Felix Ribas), which would place him as the Liberator's cousin, while others point to him as an unrecognized son of the then Prince of Portugal José Francisco de Braganza and a Mantuan woman from the Aristigueta family.

According to both conjectures, which could not be proven, the boy Manuel would have been handed over to the merchant of Canarian origin Fernando Alonso Piar, who would have raised him with María Isabel Gómez, a young mulatto woman who lived with the island navigator.

This humble origin earned him the grace of the people who saw in this leader a leader far from the mantanage who had been criticized so many times for not promoting an anti-slavery and popular revolution.

During his shooting, some historians point out that Bolívar was invaded by the pain of ending the life of this courageous warrior, to the point of shedding tears for this courageous warrior who vibrates in the soul of a people that continues to fight in rebellion for their freedom.

Mazo News Team