Venezuela Commemorates the Feat That Shaped South American Independence
Swords of the libertarian deed in the National Pantheon, Caracas, Venezuela, Dec. 9, 2024. Photo: teleSUR
December 9, 2024 Hour: 1:07 pm
On Dec. 9, 1824, Gen. Sucre commanded the independence troops in a battle against the Spanish Crown’s forces at Ayacucho.
On Monday, Venezuelan ministers participated in the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Ayacucho, a milestone in the history of the struggle for the independence of South American nations from the Spanish Empire.
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The event was marked by a solemn ceremony held at the sarcophagus of the Liberator Simon Bolivar in the National Pantheon. At this location, Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil and Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello signed a commemorative document reaffirming the ideals of independence.
“Our objective is to ensure that the homeland received by future generations remains free, sovereign, and independent,” Cabello said, referencing the dreams of Liberator Bolivar and General Antonio Jose de Sucre.
He also recalled the legacy of Commander Hugo Chavez, the former Venezuelan president, who defined the current struggles of Latin American nations as the direct continuation of the independence processes initiated two centuries ago.
“Every attempt to revive Bolivar’s dreams had been defeated until 1998, when a young man from Sabaneta came to the Venezuelan presidency. With him, the dreams of Bolivar and Sucre rose again,” Cabello said, remembering Chavez.
During his speech, the Bolivarian minister also drew a line of continuity between the historic liberators and current movements, mentioning figures like Guaicaipuro, Juana Ramirez ‘La Avanzadora,’ Francisco de Miranda, Ezequiel Zamora, and Simon Rodriguez.
Other notable Venezuelan political figures attended the ceremony, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Territorial Development Minister Hector Rodriguez, legislator Pedro Infante, and the Mayor of the Bolivarian Libertador Municipality Carmen Melendez.
The speakers emphasized the extraordinary relationship between Simon Bolivar and Antonio Jose de Sucre, describing it as the heart of the most profound struggles for independence. They also highlighted how the two leaders fought against the Spanish Empire, driven by the desire to build free and sovereign nations.
On December 9, 1824, General Antonio Jose de Sucre commanded the independence troops in a battle against the forces of the Spanish Crown at Ayacucho. In this Peruvian territory, the Venezuelan hero, alongside 5,000 patriots, sealed the end of Spanish colonial rule in South America.
“Today is the great day in which we proudly celebrate the bicentennial of the Battle of Ayacucho. In this heroic epic, which took place in the Pampa de la Quinua, Peru, our Liberation Army, under the command of Gen. Antonio Jose de Sucre, definitively liberated America from the Spanish yoke, a high point in our history that endures for centuries,” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said via social media.
“Remembering this feat fills our hearts with admiration for our homeland’s fathers and mothers. They wove together the feat, unique in the history of humanity, of building popular armies and forging republics, driving out of these lands the colonial empire that plunged the continent into centuries of darkness,” he added.
“Now more than ever we honor the heroic and great deeds of our liberators who forged the glorious destiny of these lands. With that same passion, our people maintain their permanent spirit of struggle and national awareness, being loyal defenders of freedom, brotherhood and the integration of all the nations of our Great Homeland,” the Bolivarian leader stressed.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: VTV – teleSUR
