Rafael Urdaneta

Rafael José Urdaneta y Farías, born in Maracaibo to a prominent Spanish-descended family, became a Venezuelan general and a key figure in the Spanish American wars of independence. He was a steadfast ally of Simón Bolívar, remaining one of his most loyal supporters.

Urdaneta began his education in Maracaibo and later studied in Caracas, focusing on Latin and philosophy before the independence conflict. In 1804, encouraged by an uncle employed in Santa Fe, he moved there to continue his studies and gained experience in military administration. When a junta formed in Santa Fe on July 20, 1810, as part of the broader independence movements, Urdaneta joined the cause. He became a lieutenant in the patriot army of New Granada on November 1, 1810, fought in the Campaña del Sur the following year, and was captured by royalists after the Battle of Santa Fe in 1813, though he was freed after a few months.

He joined Bolívar’s revolutionary army during the Admirable Campaign to reclaim Venezuela. Urdaneta distinguished himself under Colonel José Félix Ribas at the Battle of Niquitao on July 2, 1813, and was decisive in the patriot victory at the Battle of Taguanes. After the Second Republic of Venezuela was established, Bolívar praised him before the New Granada Congress for his valor and intelligence. Urdaneta led many military actions, including the Battle of Barbula, the 1814 Caracas Exodus, the Siege of Santa Fe (where he was promoted to lieutenant-general at age 26), the Capture of Maracaibo, and the March to San Carlos in 1821 that freed the Province of Coro and set the stage for the Battle of Carabobo. He did not fight at Carabobo because Bolívar judged his troops too exhausted from the march, but Bolívar requested his promotion to General Officer. After Venezuela’s independence, Urdaneta became one of Bolívar’s closest friends and collaborators.

In 1828, as Minister of War and head of the Cabinet, Urdaneta judged those accused in the September Conspiracy to assassinate Bolívar. Convinced that Francisco de Paula Santander was the chief conspirator, Urdaneta and most ministers sentenced him to death, but Bolívar commuted this to lifelong exile to preserve stability. Conflicts like this, along with the assassination of Antonio José de Sucre in 1830, contributed to Gran Colombia’s collapse.

Urdaneta married Dolores Vargas París, a renowned heroine of Santa Fe, on August 31, 1822. Their marriage was popular until Gran Colombia dissolved. Afterward, they fled persecution from José Antonio Páez, a former ally of Bolívar who had become an adversary. They sought refuge in Curaçao. In 1832, they returned to Caracas under a government license barring Urdaneta from politics, but a revolt in Santa Ana de Coro allowed him to re-enter political life. He eventually served as a senator until 1845.

That year, he was appointed Envoy of Venezuela to Spain but died in Paris on August 23, 1845, from kidney stone complications before reaching Spain. He was buried in the National Pantheon of Venezuela on May 16, 1876. In 2015, October 24 was declared a national holiday in Venezuela in his honor.

Urdaneta also served as Chief of Army Staff and Minister of War and Navy. He overthrew President Joaquín Mosquera in a 1830 military coup and served as President of Gran Colombia from 1830 until 1831, when he was overthrown by José María Obando and José Hilario López.