Dramatic unease rides across the barren lands, leaving in their wake the bloody battles of opposing bodies, with no other path to follow but that marked by the lance of courage, upon the bloodied map of a land yearning to be liberated from the foreign yoke. That is to say, from Spanish rule, which for more than three centuries mercilessly subjugated the inhabitants of towns, hamlets, and cities; under the symbol of a cross and a king's crown, as dreaded emblems of those imperial forces and powers. Like anonymous shadows, the warriors defy the very risk of losing their lives in the inevitable conflict, where it is impossible to stop; and even less so, to return to the place of beginnings, now elusive and carpeted by the dust that makes possible the epiphany of abysmal oblivion. But it is not only men who travel on foot, or on the backs of spirited horses through mountains, valleys, and plains; But also those, the ones rarely mentioned in the pages of history, told and written by a male perspective that omits their undeniable presence; perhaps through oversight, or perhaps through a subtle yet deliberate omission. For these combative and fighting women in the Venezuelan War of Independence (1810-1821) are none other than the persevering, indomitable, and unstoppable Venezuelan women.
I write these introductory words under the pretext of approaching the reading of the book Women and Independence (1810-1821), Written by a woman, also a fighter in those other battlefields, such as the study, research and writing of our history, I am referring to the historian Mirla Alcibíades. Women and independence It was first published by the National Center for History and the Andrés Bello National House of Letters in 2013. The second edition was published by the Carabobo Bicentennial Collection in 2021. Its cover features a reproduction of the work. Portrait of Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi, by the artist Emilio J. Mauri (1899).
We read on the back cover of this second edition that: Through an investigation that uncovers data, clues, and revelations from abundant documentation that judges, censors, or minimizes the role of women, Mirla Alcibíades manages to reconstruct a much more truthful and dignified history than the traditional narrative…
For the development of this interesting research, the historian Alcibíades asks the following questions: What were the spaces of participation for women during the War of Independence? In what fields did they act? To what extent were they committed? What achievements did they attain? And after posing these questions, she organizes or distributes the content related to the prolific actions and activities carried out or undertaken by countless women who were present during the War of Independence. Let us, then, read the names of these activities, following the order that gives structure to this interesting essay:
I - Convinced: readers, hostesses, activists, writers, peelers, suppliers, drovers, soldiers, gravediggers, food vendors, companions, musicians, declaimers, spies, informants, nurses, healers, embroiderers, seamstresses, accomplices.
II - Punished: exiles, emigrants, pilgrims, refugees, banished, prisoners, flogged, feathered, tortured, executed, pregnant, raped, seduced, kidnapped, besieged.
III- Hopeful: equal, neat, carnival-goers, smokers, spectators, players, teachers, plaintiffs, lovers, subsidiaries, dancers, diners, public.
Referring to the research process, this historian clarifies that mentions of women's contributions appear only sporadically; she also states that each author provides very little information. Consequently, Alcibíades comments that she wasn't presented with the abundance she would have liked, but it was a continuation of what she had been compiling in the archives. She also notes that, in general, it is accepted that women participated in the Independence era. And that it is also known that they were present during the years of defining the conflict and subsequent armed conflict, that is, in the period from 1810 to 1821.
Regarding the comments made by this meticulous researcher concerning the information gathering process for her book, they call into question the immense effort required to undertake research of such magnitude and scope. I am referring to the exhaustive review of documentary sources carried out by this historian, particularly in archives such as the General Archive of the Nation, the Historical Archive of the Libertador Bolivarian Municipality, and the Archdiocese Archive of Caracas. Furthermore, she consulted newspaper and bibliographic sources that directly or indirectly address the topic developed in this work.
Regarding the prominent roles of women designated as “heroines,” the author includes a list with their respective names (p. 23). In this respect, she states that, The designation of “heroines” reduces the phenomenon to a small number of women.
Let us not forget that the activities or actions carried out by women mentioned in this essay are numerous; this indicates or suggests that the women who participated in the independence movement should not be limited to a small number of names. Furthermore, this is not a matter of statistics, but rather a subject that will increasingly require further research, analysis, and study; which in the future could add or provide additional data that would undoubtedly enrich the information currently available on the topic addressed in this study or essay.
Among the various quotes that this Venezuelan author brings to the pages of her study, we find one of them, taken from Francisco Javier Yanes, in which we read the following:
Women are just as patriotic and warlike as men, and they also possess other virtues superior to men's, virtues that, if varnished with what is fashionable to call "civilization," would present a model of civic virtue that would far surpass what is rightly or wrongly said about the Amazons, the Greeks, and the Romans…
And so, the resilient Venezuelan women continue the enduring courage demonstrated during those times marked by prolonged wars that, in some way, defined Venezuela's destiny. Therefore, reading this research by Mirla Alcibíades is essential for those interested in the study and analysis of content related to women's participation in historical processes in Venezuelan territory. It should be noted that, for this purpose, consulting documents, mostly preserved in historical archives, as well as in libraries and documentary collections located in various cities throughout the country, is essential and imperative.
Mirla Alcibíades: Researcher, facilitator and specialist in 19th century Venezuelan culture and was one of the coordinators of the Dictionary of Latin American Literature (DELAL). Retired researcher from the Rómulo Gallegos Center for Latin American Studies. For her research work, she received the unique award from the Venezuelan Academy of Language, on the centenary occasion of the Illustrated Cripple (1993); Mariano Picón Salas International Essay Prize (2002) and Special Prize at the IV National Book Prize of Venezuela (2006); National Culture Prize 2024–2025 (Humanities Mention). Published works: The Enlightened Cripple in the process of modernity in Venezuela (1995); The heroic adventure of building a republic. Family – nation in the nineteenth century: Venezuelan (1830 – 1869) (2007).
