WHAT WAS THE COSIATA OR REVOLUTION OF THE MORROCOYES? - HISTORY - 2025

The Cosiata or Revolution of the Morrocoyes was a separatist political movement promoted by the general commander of Venezuela José Antonio Páez and the country's main leaders. This movement exploded in the city of Valencia on April 30, 1826 and is considered the main cause of the subsequent dissolution of Gran Colombia.

Since 1821, with the Charter of Jamaica, the Angostura speech and finally the Fundamental Law of the Union of the Peoples of Colombia, the great Bolivarian integrationist project becomes a reality after the establishment of La Gran Colombia, a republic made up of Venezuela, Cundinamarca (today Colombia) and Ecuador.

José Antonio Páez, leader of the separatist movement of La Cosiata

However, Venezuela and its leaders did not agree with the power structure established in the nascent republic. Hence, the La Cosiata movement begins with the objective of demanding a reform of the Constitution of Cúcuta, that is, that of Gran Colombia, and announcing the breaking of relations with the authorities of Bogotá.

Although the name of this great political and social revolt, according to the historian José M. Ameliach, comes from a term that was used to refer to things without importance or meaning, La Cosiata managed to transform forever the political destiny of the republics of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.

Background of

The origins of this movement go back to the revolution that took place in Venezuela on April 19, 1810, when the Cabildo of Caracas, supported by civil society, the militias, the clergy and the intellectuals, sent Spanish officials and the government of General Vicente Emparan.

From that moment on, a Board was constituted that would be in charge of directing Venezuela without being governed by the Spanish.

As a result of this revolutionary movement, the Mantuanos, that is, the rich Venezuelans, were intellectually influenced by the European enlightenment and the libertarian ideals of Rousseau, Locke and Montesquieu, so they would not allow themselves to be governed by others.

By 1825, with La Gran Colombia already established, the Caracas municipality came into conflict with the national executive of Bogotá.

Then the nationalist movement of La Cosiata began, made up of representatives of the revolutionary mantuanism of the year 1810, who criticized the centralist and unitary form of the government of Bogotá.

In the words of Francisco de Paula Santander, vice president of La Gran Colombia, he started in Caracas "a party with the purpose of arousing in a word the hatred of the mass of the people, against institutions, laws, congress, executive and all kinds of authorities" (Martínez, 1976, p. 117.),

Cause of

After the Constitution of Cúcuta was approved, Bogotá became the capital of La Gran Colombia, at the same time that a centralist form of government was established in which the executive power was constituted by a president and a vice president; Bolívar and Santander.

This way of organizing the state greatly displeased Venezuelans, who wanted Caracas to be the capital of the nascent republic.

However, this city began to play the role of a simple provincial capital and the Venezuelan local authorities to have a restricted power and secondary participation in the politics of La Gran Colombia.

This situation brought great problems for Venezuela, since the Venezuelan mayor, Carlos Soublette, could not administer the country as Bogotá wanted, due to the strong independence pressure exerted by the Caracas elite and the country's main leaders, among them the famous “ centaur of the plains ”José Antonio Páez.

As of this moment, disputes arise between Bogotá and the Valencia-Caracas axis, and the independence movements begin to resurface with greater force, being able to find two main causes for the birth of La Cosiata:

The fear of a so-called "Holy Alliance"

Bogotá suspected of an alleged alliance between Prussia, Austria and Russia, which would aim to form a powerful European army ready to reconquer the American continent.

Santander orders the provinces to prepare militarily and decrees on August 31, 1824, a general enlistment of all Venezuelans between the ages of 16 and 50.

However, General Páez did not enforce this decree until the end of 1825, and despite the call, Venezuelan citizens ignored the enlistment.

Páez orders the Anzoátegui and Apure battalions to carry out a forced recruitment of all Venezuelans, which caused the Caracas municipality to complain to the House of Representatives.

Suspension of Páez as Commander General

Seeing the way in which Páez had enlisted his citizens, he was ordered to separate from his post and be subjected to trial by the Bogotá authorities.

Just before the trial took place, numerous neighbors gathered in the Valencia municipality requesting that he resume command, which made Páez decide not to listen to Bogotá's orders, declaring himself in open rebellion against the government of La Gran Colombia.

Once Páez returned to his position as civil and military chief, swearing as of May 14, 1826 not to obey the government of Bogotá again, he began the La Cosiata movement in Valencia.

The revolution soon spread to the other municipalities, who now demanded the reform of the Constitution of Cúcuta and the intervention of the Liberator Simón Bolívar in Venezuela.

Páez, as a good leader, also managed to capture the interests of the separatist intellectuals, who did not hesitate to be part of the movement that was beginning to take shape in Venezuela and the different municipalities.

Consequences of

Arrival of the Liberator to Venezuela and subsequent holding of the Ocaña Convention

Seeing the civil and political revolt generated by La Cosiata in Venezuela, Simón Bolívar heads to Caracas to meet with Páez and calm the situation.

However, Venezuela clearly expressed its desire to hold a constituent congress to modify the Constitution of Cúcuta.

On April 2, 1828, the Ocaña Convention is held and a congress is established made up of the deputies of the departments of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela. This congress was divided into two parties: the federalists and the centralists.

The federalists were led by Santander, who wanted to continue with the current form of government, and the Venezuelan leader Páez, who promoted the creation of a federal but different constitution that would confer more power on Venezuela and the municipalities.

The centralists were with Simón Bolívar, who proposed the establishment of a centralized form of government that would bring with it the dictatorship from 1928 to 1830, which would end with La Gran Colombia.

Foundation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela

Faced with a convulsed Venezuela with Páez and the Caracas oligarchy eager to end the dictatorship established in Bogotá, Bolívar calls for a constituent assembly to reconcile political differences. This assembly will be known under the name of "The admirable Congress."

However, the attempts were futile and Páez formed a provisional government in Venezuela declaring himself head of the administration.

From that moment on, deputies were elected to hold a constituent congress that would meet in Valencia in 1830 and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was created with Valencia as the provisional capital.

The political fact of La Cosiata would form a type of conservative ruling oligarchy that would begin to lead Venezuela, with José Antonio Páez being the first president of the republic in 1831.

1. The Cosiata movement began in Valencia. Retrieved on August 18, 2017 from cnh.gob.ve
2. Venezuelan ephemeris. Retrieved on August 18, 2017 from efemeridesvenezolanas.com
3. González, A. Dissolution of Colombia, a betrayal without traitors? Retrieved on August 18, 2017 from bc.uc.edu.ve
4. La Cosiata: The revolution of the Morrocoyes (1816). Retrieved on August 18, 2017 from venelogia.com
5. The Cosiata. Venezuela's history. Retrieved on August 18, 2017 from blogspot.com
6. The Cosiata. Retrieved on August 18, 2017 from ecured.cu
7. La Cosiata 1826. Retrieved on August 18, 2017 from encyclopedia.com
8. The Great Colombia. Retrieved on August 18, 2017 from ecured.cu
9. Martinez, J. M. (1976). 150 years of republican life. Spain: publications Reunidas, SA
10. Ordóñez, C. (2014). General José Antonio Páez and the dissolution of Gran Colombia. Retrieved on August 18, 2017 from ucatolica.edu.co.