With the presence of military and civil authorities and a large group of citizens, the Plaza Bolívar in San Cristóbal was the setting to commemorate the Day of Indigenous Resistance, a date that marks 533 years of struggle against the European invasion and the reaffirmation of the sovereign spirit of Venezuela.
The event, loaded with historical symbolism and patriotic commitment, was chaired by Division General Michell Valladares, Commander of the Comprehensive Defense Operational Zone (Zodi) Táchira.
G/D Valladares reflected on this event, noting that the wealth extracted from America, primarily gold and silver, was crucial to the rise of the Spanish, Portuguese, and English empires.
He emphasized that the conquest was achieved, in part, due to the lack of unity of the native peoples and through the imposition of religion, ignorance and superstition, although he highlighted the indomitable strength of the Venezuelan aborigines, “our indigenous people refused to be enslaved, our native peoples, our Caribs, a product of this beautiful sun that warmed them and made them rebellious, made them never be slaves of any town.
The Commander of the Zodi also connected the independence feat with the legacy of resistance, remembering that heroes like Simón Bolívar, a 27-year-old young man in 1810, promoted the revolution. He highlighted the role of youth in the processes of social transformation and the meaning of the national tricolor as a symbol of dignity and courage.
Given the current context, G/D Valladares was emphatic, «Today that our country is under siege from a military point of view, because we have already had 25 years of economic, political, diplomatic, social siege, they undoubtedly opted for the military option. “They know that in here they are going to encounter a heroic people, a people who are going to truly engage in that active resistance and truly engage in that permanent offensive.”
Prior to the main event, a theatrical play was developed that represented the dramatic encounter between cultures and the resistance of indigenous peoples.
