The Legalist Revolution was a civil war in Venezuela that was caused by the "Continuity movement" of President Raimundo Andueza Palacio who wanted to perpetuate himself in power through a constitutional reform. Although it was constitutionally stipulated that his term would end on 20 February 1892, Andueza planned to reform the Constitution in order to prolong his stay in power for two more years, which is why he was called a Continuationist. Joaquín Crespo took up arms on March 11 in his power base of "El Totumo", in

Guárico state Guárico State (, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Juan de Los Morros and the largest city is Calabozo, other important city centers include Valle de la Pascua and Zaraza, Guárico, Zaraza. Gu ...

, starting the war that spread to the rest of the country. The government appointed General Sebastián Castañas, commander of the army, to fight the Revolution while Generals Ramón Guerra, Wenceslao Casado and José Manuel Hernández, known as "El Mocho Hernández", joined the Legalist movement of Juan Crespo.

Battle of Los Colorados and Battle of Boquerón

On 15 April 1892, Crespo defeated the Minister of War Sebastián Castañas in the Battles of Jobo Mocho and made him retreat to

Calabozo Calabozo, officially Villa de Todos los Santos de Calabozo, is a city in Venezuela located in Guárico state, capital of the Francisco de Miranda Municipality and former capital of the state. It has a population of 168,605, according to the Nat ...

. In autumn Joaquín Crespo advanced towards

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 ...

at the head of more than 10,000 men, and encountered the Continuationist army of Generals José Ignacio Pulido and Luciano Mendoza at

Los Teques Los Teques () is the capital of the state of Miranda, and the municipality of Guaicaipuro in north-central Venezuela. The city is about 25 km southwest of Caracas, and above mean sea level. It lies in the Cordillera de la Costa, on the ba ...

. The Battle of Los Colorados and the Battle of Boquerón took place between 3 and 5 October 1892, and was a defeat for the Continuationists.
Mendoza, Pulido and Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido withdrew and abandoned

on 6 October. The city was left unprotected, and gangs of looters invaded the residences of Raimundo Andueza Palacio, Pulido, Sarria and other leaders of the defeated government, as well as the offices of the newspaper ''La Opinión Nacional''. A few hours later, Crespo entered the capital, marking the triumph of the Legalist Revolution. Crespo immediately took charge of the national executive power and would remain President until 1898. On 21 June 1893, a new Constitution was signed that would stipulate in its article 63, direct and secret voting, and a Presidential period of maximum 4 years in its article 71.

References

{{Reflist Wars involving Venezuela 1890s in Venezuela