The Treaty of Coche was an agreement that formally established the end of the

Federal War The Federal War () — also known as the Great War or the 5 Year War — was a civil war in Venezuela between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party over the monopoly the Conservatives held over government positions and land ownership, an ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. The name of the treaty originates from the fact that it was made at the estate of Coche, in that period very close to

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

, and today part of the Parish of Coche in Caracas.
The agreement was initially made on 23 April 1863, between, on the one hand for the Conservatives, Pedro José Rojas, Secretary General of the Supreme Chief of the Republic:

José Antonio Páez José Antonio Páez Herrera (; 13 June 1790 – 6 May 1873) was a Venezuelan politician and military officer who served as the president of Venezuela three times. The first as the 5th president from 1830 to 1835, the second as the 8th president ...

, and on the other hand for the Liberals,

Antonio Guzmán Blanco Antonio Leocadio Guzmán Blanco (28 February 1829 – 28 July 1899) was a Venezuelan military leader, statesman, diplomat and politician. He was the president of Venezuela for , from 1870 until 1877, from 1879 until 1884, and from 1886 until 1 ...

, Secretary General of the Provisional President of the Federation:

Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Zavarce (27 January 1820 – 29 April 1870) was the president of Venezuela from 1863 to 1868.Federal War The Federal War () — also known as the Great War or the 5 Year War — was a civil war in Venezuela between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party over the monopoly the Conservatives held over government positions and land ownership, an ...

, the military victory of the Liberal Federalist forces was imminent, and the Venezuelan country was thoroughly destroyed, with more than 150,000 people dead, and many cities deserted and destroyed. Representatives of Juan Crisóstomo Falcón and José Antonio Páez met behind closed doors and reached an agreement to achieve definitive peace, and convene a National Assembly or Congress, which would be made up of 80 members, of which half would be elected by the Supreme chief of the Republic (Páez) and the other half by the Provisional President of the Federation (Falcón). It was also agreed that Páez should resign as President to facilitate the transition process.Bibliofep
/ref>

Consequences

*The victory of the Liberals and the return of the Liberal Party to power. *The definitive peace, that Venezuela needed so much, was achieved. *New recruitments were ended, and even forbidden. *Reduction of the Central government army. *Public order brigades were formed to prevent any outbreak of violence. *Despite the long-awaited peace having been achieved, a large part of the Venezuelan population abandoned the countryside for fear of becoming victims of more bloody fighting. *Further indebtedness of the country, as it requested a new loan from the English company Matheson & Company.

References

{{Reflist Federal War Treaties of Venezuela 1863 in Venezuela April 1863