Santiago Mariño was another of the great heroes who liberated us from Spanish colonialism, under the command of Simón Bolívar. Historically, he is known as the Liberator of the East. Born in Margarita on July 25, 1788, he died in La Victoria on September 4, 1854, meaning that next Friday will mark 172 years since his passing, at the age of 66. Mariño was granted this prestigious title for leading the actions against the royalists in the East in 1813, the same year Bolívar led the Admirable Campaign. In addition to his military career, the native of Margarita was very active in politics during those early years, beginning on February 15, 1819, when the Congress of Angostura was convened.
This hero was born in the Valley of the Holy Spirit, Nueva Esparta state. He was a descendant of Santiago Mariño de Acuña, a captain in the regular militia, while his mother, Atanasia Carige Fitzgerald, was of Irish descent. He began his studies in Trinidad, where his parents had settled. At the age of 22, following April 19, 1810, he was sent on a mission by the Cumaná City Council to Trinidad to seek British support.
After numerous incidents and participation in various battles, notably the Battle of Carabobo, where he served as second-in-command alongside Bolívar, and already considered one of the leading figures, in 1824 he assumed the position of President of the War Council of General Officers. In 1826, the Congress of Gran Colombia appointed him Minister-Judge of the High Court, a position he was unable to assume due to the outbreak of the La Cosiata separatist movement in Venezuela on April 30 of that year. He was one of the principal leaders of this movement, along with José Antonio Páez, who seized power. It is important to note that the Constitution was rejected, as was the government of Francisco de Paula Santander. He played a prominent role in the separation of Venezuela and served as its representative to the New Granadans, commanded by the Grand Marshal of Ayacucho, Antonio José de Sucre. He held the high-ranking position in the Ministry of War and Navy and joined the unifying revolution in 1831… In 1835, he led the Revolution of the Reforms, which for a month overthrew the government of Dr. José María Vargas, and he became the de facto president of the country. In 1876, his remains were transferred to the National Pantheon.
