Guaicaipuro
Encyclopedia
Guaicaipuro was a native (indigenous) Venezuela
n chief of both the Teques and Caracas
tribes. Though known today as Guaicaipuro, in documents of the time his name was written Guacaipuro.
valley. He commanded, among others, Cacique
(Spanish: Indian chief) Naiguatá, Guaicamacuto, Chacao
, Aramaipuro, Paramaconi and his own son Baruta. Guaicaipuro is one of the most famous and celebrated Venezuelan Caciques. The area occupied by the Teques was populated by several native groups each with its own cacique. Guaicaipuro's tribe, which was located in what is now San José de los Altos, was the largest one. He had a son named Baruta, himself a Cacique
. The name of two is his sisters is also known: Tiora and Caycape.
The Spaniards discovered gold in the area of the land of the Teques, and as they started to exploit the mines, Guaicaipuro attacked, forcing the Spanish to leave. Following the attack, the governor of the province of Venezuela
sent Juan Rodríguez Suárez to pacify the area, which apparently he did after defeating Guaicaipuro in several engagements. Believing he had achieved his task, the Spanish commander and his soldiers left the area leaving behind miners and three of his sons. Once the Spanish soldiers had left, Guiacaipuro assaulted the mines killing all the workers as well as the sons of Rodríguez Suárez. Immediately thereafter, Rodríguez Suárez who was on his way to the city of Valencia, with a small contingent of only six soldiers, with the purpose of meeting Lope de Aguirre
, another Spanish conquistador
, was ambushed by Guaicaipuo and killed.
After these successes Guaicaipuro became the main and central figure in the uprising of all the native tribes in the vicinity of the Caracas
valley, and managed to unite all the tribes under his command. In 1562 they defeated an expeditionary force led by Luis Narváez. Due to the fierce attacks, the Spanish retreated away from the area for several years.
In 1567 the city of Santiago de Leon de Caracas
was founded in the Caracas valley. The Spanish worried about the nearby presence of Guaicaipuro and his men, and given the past history of attacks, they decided not to wait for an attack from him, and as a preventive move Diego de Losada
, (founder of Caracas) ordered the mayor of the city, Francisco Infante to undertake Guacaipuro's capture. In 1568 Infante and his men were led by native guides to the hut where Guaicaipuro lived and they set it on fire to force the native cacique out. Guaicaipuro stormed out and found death at the hands of the Spanish soldiers.
was named in his honor. Later the county reformed to the Guaicaipuro Municipality.
Amidst the new policy started by president Hugo Chávez
of re-assessing and valuing the role of Venezuela's Caciques and indigenous peoples in a historical narrative which has traditionally given greater prominence to the Spanish conquistador
es, Guaicaipuro's remains were symbolically moved (his remains have never been found) under ceremonial pomp to the national pantheon on December 8, 2001.
Under the same new policy president Chávez often mentions Guaicaipuro and other native chiefs in his speeches with the purpose of inspiring Venezuelans to resist what he calls American imperialists and interventionists policies directed towards Venezuela. Most notably, he does it every year during the October 12 holiday, which after being renamed several years ago Dia de la Raza (previously America's Discovery Day), was recently renamed as Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance)
The Venezuelan government named as Mission Guaicaipuro
one of its ongoing Bolivarian Missions
; this specific program seeks to restore communal land titles and human rights to Venezuela's, still remaining, 33 indigenous tribes.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n chief of both the Teques and Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
tribes. Though known today as Guaicaipuro, in documents of the time his name was written Guacaipuro.
Life
Guaicaipuro formed a powerful coalition of different tribes which he led during part of the 16th century against the Spanish conquest of Venezuelan territory in the central region of the country, specially in the CaracasCaracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
valley. He commanded, among others, Cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
(Spanish: Indian chief) Naiguatá, Guaicamacuto, Chacao
Chacao
Chacao may refer to the following articles:*Chacao Municipality - a municipality of Caracas, Venezuela*Chacao Channel*Chacao Channel bridge*Chacao , a Venezuelan cacique from the 16th century*Chacao Indian...
, Aramaipuro, Paramaconi and his own son Baruta. Guaicaipuro is one of the most famous and celebrated Venezuelan Caciques. The area occupied by the Teques was populated by several native groups each with its own cacique. Guaicaipuro's tribe, which was located in what is now San José de los Altos, was the largest one. He had a son named Baruta, himself a Cacique
Cacique
Cacique is a title derived from the Taíno word for the pre-Columbian chiefs or leaders of tribes in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles...
. The name of two is his sisters is also known: Tiora and Caycape.
The Spaniards discovered gold in the area of the land of the Teques, and as they started to exploit the mines, Guaicaipuro attacked, forcing the Spanish to leave. Following the attack, the governor of the province of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
sent Juan Rodríguez Suárez to pacify the area, which apparently he did after defeating Guaicaipuro in several engagements. Believing he had achieved his task, the Spanish commander and his soldiers left the area leaving behind miners and three of his sons. Once the Spanish soldiers had left, Guiacaipuro assaulted the mines killing all the workers as well as the sons of Rodríguez Suárez. Immediately thereafter, Rodríguez Suárez who was on his way to the city of Valencia, with a small contingent of only six soldiers, with the purpose of meeting Lope de Aguirre
Lope de Aguirre
Lope de Aguirre was a Basque Spanish conquistador in South America. Nicknamed El Loco, 'the Madman', Aguirre is best known for his final expedition, down the Amazon river, in search of the mythical El Dorado...
, another Spanish conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
, was ambushed by Guaicaipuo and killed.
After these successes Guaicaipuro became the main and central figure in the uprising of all the native tribes in the vicinity of the Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
valley, and managed to unite all the tribes under his command. In 1562 they defeated an expeditionary force led by Luis Narváez. Due to the fierce attacks, the Spanish retreated away from the area for several years.
In 1567 the city of Santiago de Leon de Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
was founded in the Caracas valley. The Spanish worried about the nearby presence of Guaicaipuro and his men, and given the past history of attacks, they decided not to wait for an attack from him, and as a preventive move Diego de Losada
Diego de Losada
Diego de Losada was a Spanish conquistador and the founder of Santiago de León de Caracas, the current capital of Venezuela.Losada was born in Rionegro del Puente, in what is now the province of Zamora. He reached Puerto Rico in 1533....
, (founder of Caracas) ordered the mayor of the city, Francisco Infante to undertake Guacaipuro's capture. In 1568 Infante and his men were led by native guides to the hut where Guaicaipuro lived and they set it on fire to force the native cacique out. Guaicaipuro stormed out and found death at the hands of the Spanish soldiers.
Legacy
The county of Guaicaipuro in the state of Miranda, VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
was named in his honor. Later the county reformed to the Guaicaipuro Municipality.
Amidst the new policy started by president Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
of re-assessing and valuing the role of Venezuela's Caciques and indigenous peoples in a historical narrative which has traditionally given greater prominence to the Spanish conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
es, Guaicaipuro's remains were symbolically moved (his remains have never been found) under ceremonial pomp to the national pantheon on December 8, 2001.
Under the same new policy president Chávez often mentions Guaicaipuro and other native chiefs in his speeches with the purpose of inspiring Venezuelans to resist what he calls American imperialists and interventionists policies directed towards Venezuela. Most notably, he does it every year during the October 12 holiday, which after being renamed several years ago Dia de la Raza (previously America's Discovery Day), was recently renamed as Día de la Resistencia Indígena (Day of Indigenous Resistance)
The Venezuelan government named as Mission Guaicaipuro
Mission Guaicaipuro
Misión Guaicaipuro is one of the Bolivarian Missions implemented by current Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez)...
one of its ongoing Bolivarian Missions
Bolivarian Missions
The Bolivarian Missions are a series of social justice, social welfare, anti-poverty, educational, electoral and military recruiting programs implemented under the administration of the current Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez...
; this specific program seeks to restore communal land titles and human rights to Venezuela's, still remaining, 33 indigenous tribes.
External links
- Venezuela Tuya Short biography of Guaicaipuro (in Spanish).
- Guaicaipuro County Guaicapuro's life (in Spanish).
- Misión Guaicaipuro Website for the Venezuelan government's project for the native tribes (in Spanish).
- Guaicaipuro's gold coins (in Spanish)