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The Paseo Los Próceres (translatable into English as ''Walkway of the Heroes'') is a monument located in the
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 ...
n city of
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 ...
, near Fort Tiuna and the
Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army The Military Academy of the Bolivarian Army (in Spanish ''Academia Militar del Ejército Bolivariano''), previously called Military Academy of Venezuela, is an academy to train members of the officer corps of the National Army of the Bolivarian ...
. On the promenade there are statues of the heroes of the
War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...
, as well as fountains, stairs, squares, roads and walls. Since 1993, the Paseo Los Próceres and the entire annex system was declared a National Historic Landmark.


History

It was inaugurated in 1956 by President
Marcos Pérez Jiménez Marcos Evangelista Pérez Jiménez (25 April 1914 – 20 September 2001) was a Venezuelan military officer and the dictator of Venezuela from 1950 to 1958, ruling as member of the military junta from 1950 to 1952 and as president from 1952 t ...
, calling it ''El Sistema de Nacionalidad'' (''The System of Nationality'') in honor of the independence struggles of
Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
,
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
,
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
,
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
and
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 ...
. It was created to represent the Venezuelan military institution on an urban scale, it is part of the System of Nationality which is made up of several elements linked by a large road and pedestrian axis that articulates the ceremonial complex structured by the great Courtyard of Honor as a highlight and receiver of the urban axis that begins in the
University City of Caracas The University City of Caracas (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas''), also known by the acronym CUC, is the main campus of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), located in central Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. ...
.


Structure

The monument is defined by two rows of lighting poles as virtual walls. Located on the perimeter of
Fort Tiuna Fuerte Tiuna or Fort Tiuna (more formally the Military Complex of Fort Tiuna) is the name of an important military installation in Caracas, Venezuela. Fort There are important institutions of various types, such as the headquarters of the Min ...
, the largest national military complex, it articulates with the
Bolivarian Military University of Venezuela The Bolivarian Military University of Venezuela (in Spanish ''Universidad Militar Bolivariana de Venezuela''. The Military Bolivarian University of Venezuela (UMBV), is a state university in Venezuela, which operates under the Ministry of the Pe ...
, the parade courtyard, the monoliths of heroes, an oval of fountains, gardens and baroque ornaments. Glasses, cups and other pieces that commemorate the Greek Hellenistic period as the statue of the god of the waters,
Poseidon Poseidon (; ) is one of the twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and mythology, presiding over the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 He was the protector of seafarers and the guardian of many Hellenic cit ...
, complement the architectural complex. Deployed along a two-kilometer avenue, it has driveways and grandstands on the sides, while fountains, gardens, four monoliths and huge statues in honor of the independence heroes extend in the center. It's the stage of great military parades and other official activities of the federal government. The Monument to the Heroes is formed by four parallelepipeds: two vertical ones made of travertine marble and two horizontal ones in black marble, each with 30 meters/98 ft in length and a total weight of 300 tons/672.000 lb. On the horizontal walls there are bronze statues representing the heroes of independence:
Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...
,
Antonio José de Sucre Antonio José de Sucre y Alcalá (; 3 February 1795 – 4 June 1830), known as the "Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho" (), was a Venezuelan general and politician who served as the president of Bolivia from 1825 to 1828. A close friend and associate ...
,
Rafael Urdaneta Rafael José Urdaneta y Farías (October 24, 1788 – August 23, 1845) was a Venezuelan General and hero of the Spanish American wars of independence. After overthrowing President Joaquín Mosquera in a 1830 military coup, he served as Pre ...
,
Santiago Mariño Santiago Mariño Carige Fitzgerald (25 July 1788 in Valle Espíritu Santo, Margarita – 4 September 1854 in La Victoria, Aragua), was a nineteenth-century Venezuelan revolutionary leader and hero in the Venezuelan War of Independence (1811– ...
,
Francisco de Miranda Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez de Espinoza (28 March 1750 – 14 July 1816), commonly known as Francisco de Miranda (), was a Venezuelan military leader and revolutionary who fought in the American Revolutionary War, the French R ...
,
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 ...
,
Manuel Piar Manuel Carlos María Francisco Piar Gómez (April 28, 1774 – October 16, 1817) was General-in-Chief of the army fighting Spain during the Venezuelan War of Independence. Heritage and early life The son of Fernando Alonso Piar y Lottyn, a Spani ...
,
José Félix Ribas José Félix Ribas (; Caracas, 19 September 1775 – Tucupido, 31 January 1815) was a Venezuelan independence leader and hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence. Early life Ribas was the last of eleven sons, born to a prominent Caracas ...
,
Luis Brión Felipe Luis Brión Detrox (July 6, 1782, Curaçao – September 27, 1821, Curaçao) was a military officer who fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence. He rose to the rank of admiral in the navies of Venezuela and the old Gran Colombia ...
,
Juan Bautista Arismendi Juan Bautista Arismendi (March 15, 1775 – June 22, 1841) was a Venezuelan patriot and general of the Venezuelan War of Independence. He is buried in the National Pantheon of Venezuela. Arismendi was born in La Asuncion, Isla Margarita i1775 H ...
and
José Francisco Bermúdez José Francisco Bermúdez (23 January 1782, Cariaco – 15 December 1831, Cumaná) was a Venezuelan revolutionary and military officer. A prominent lieutenant of Simón Bolívar, he fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence and rose to the ...
. In the monoliths the names of the Venezuelan heroes and the four battles that sealed the independence of the Bolivarian countries were carved:
Ayacucho Ayacucho (, , derived from the words ''aya'' ("death" or "soul") and ''k'uchu'' ("corner") in honour of the battle of Ayacucho), founded in 1540 as San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga and known simply as Huamanga (Quechua: Wamanga) until 1825, i ...
, Boyacá,
Carabobo Carabobo State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela, located in the north of the country, about two hours by car from Caracas. The state capital city is Valencia, which is also the country's main industrial center. The state's area is and ...
and Pichincha, also represented in high relief. The Paseo de los Próceres, part of these emblematic blocks, is a wide avenue whose side stands are stands for military parades and official events of state as well as a grandstand, all renovated in the 2010s. The monument is part of the System of the Nationality whose original function was to connect the
Central University of Venezuela Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
with the campus of the Military University. It was designed in the neoclassical style by Malaussena, presided over by the monument dedicated to national heroes, intended to occupy, in the urban geography of Caracas, the place of the
Champs-Élysées The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an Avenue (landscape), avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, long and wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc ...
in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. The Paseo Los ilustres (''Boulevard of the Illustrious'') is a large vehicular avenue with driveways and a pedestrian island in the middle, erected as a tribute to the illustrious children of the nation, is the point of exchange of civil and military population, in which is located the Armed Forces Club, the headquarters for social events of members of the military institution. On the other hand, the Paseo de los Símbolos (''Boulevard of the Symbols'') is defined by a sculptural set made in bronze, on a marble pedestal and a water mirror. A sculptural work made by Ernesto Maragall in 1957, it constitutes an allegory to the Venezuelan national symbols: the coat of arms, the flag and the national anthem. On the Paseo Los Precursores (''Boulevard of the Precursors'') there's a sculpture of a Native Venezuelan who stands on his horse, made of bronze, in the middle of a platform and marble base guarded by two lions, also by Maragall, honoring the country's indigenous population. A commemorative obelisk, mosaic paths, as well as the symmetrical design of the complex, offer the place a face of serenity, while bas-reliefs made in 1957 by sculptor Hugo Daini can be seen on one of the walls of the column. Scattered among the succession of fountains, squares and paths that go from the Monument of the Precursors to that of the Próceres are other sculptural pieces in the form of nymph figures, executed in artificial stone. On the boulevard visitors can see the murals that tell the
history of Venezuela The history of Venezuela reflects events in areas of the Americas colonized by Spain starting 1502; amid resistance from indigenous peoples, led by Native caciques, such as Guaicaipuro and Tamanaco. However, in the Andean region of western Ve ...
from pre-Spanish times.


References


External links

{{coord, 10.4638, -66.9033, format=dms, type:landmark_region:VE, display=title Monuments and memorials in Venezuela Buildings and structures in Caracas