The capital of the Miranda state was the epicenter of a solemn commemoration for the 533 years of indigenous struggle and resistance against European colonization.
The event had the notable participation of indigenous groups from the municipality, who led the day with cultural acts and ancestral songs, reclaiming their generational legacy. The ceremony also brought together representatives of the Popular Power, the mayor of Guaicaipuro, the Legislative Council of Miranda and the Municipal Council.
The authorities began the event by placing a floral offering at the statues of the warriors that honor the Paseo de la Resistencia Indígena de Los Teques, a gesture that remembers the fight of the aboriginal peoples against the massacres, looting and dispossession that marked the beginning of the colonization of the continent.
Maribel Montiel, spokesperson for the Guaicaipuro Indigenous Women’s Movement, said: «Today, October 12, we commemorate the memory, dignity and resistance of the people. “More than 500 years ago a story of courage, but also of strength, began.”
Montiel recalled the perseverance of the ancestors: «Our grandparents did not give up, they defended their land and their culture and their identity. That is why today in America we remember this date as the Day of Indigenous Resistance. Because the native peoples are still here, we continue speaking our language and we continue walking proudly and we continue resisting. Long live the indigenous peoples! Long live Guaicaipuro!
For his part, Mayor Farith Fraija, highlighted the figure of Cacique Guaicaipuro as a symbol of strategic unity: «Why is Guaicaipuro such a flagship in the history of indigenous resistance? Because he managed – despite the harsh difficulties of the territory – to unify the chiefs of other towns.
He reiterated the firmness of the Venezuelan people in the face of any threat and ratified the defense of sovereignty: “Here we are in unity, we are with the same determination as Guaicaipuro, with the same determination of our liberators, with the same decision that we will always have every time our homeland is threatened.”
The president of the Legislative Council of Miranda, Gustavo Prieto, contextualized the commemoration by warning about the external threats facing the country. He stressed that national defense transcends particular interests (government or party) and focuses on the most sacred good: independence and sovereignty. He stressed that the Venezuelan people, although they are peaceful, are brave and are willing to defend their own even with their lives, emulating the example of Guaicaipuro.
