The Monument to the Venezuelan Federation (Spanish: Monumento a la Federación Venezolana) is a monument in the Venezuelan city of Coro. It is located on Avenida Independencia, at the north-eastern entrance to the city.[1] Known locally as el Paredón,[2] the Monument was erected under the tenure of Pedro Luis Bracho Navarrete as the governor of Falcón state[1] and was inaugurated on February 20, 1969.[3] Whilst the government provided funds for the Monument, the Society of Friends of Coro were charged with the execution of the works.[4] The sculptor of the monument was Santiago Poletto.[3][5]
Surrounded by flagpoles, the monument is approximately 7 metres (23 ft) high and 21 metres (69 ft) wide and comprises a concrete structure covered with marble slabs. There is a main wall and three pedestals, each with a statue. The leftward statue depicts general Ezequiel Zamora, holding a sword and a sheath. The centre statue depicts a woman holding a shield and a banner (this statue has often been erroneously attributed to Josefa Camejo). The rightward statue depicts marshal Juan Crisóstomo Falcón, holding a book and a sword. The wall has 21 bronze shields, representing the 21 states of Venezuela existing at the time of the construction of the Monument. On the back of the Monument there is a cannon.[4] Between 2012 and 2018, the Monument suffered damages, as bronze shields and letters were broken off by thieves to sell as scrap metal. Reportedly 10 out of the 21 shields had been removed. The removal of shields also damaged several of the marble slabs.[4][6][7]
- ^ a b Gabriel Briceño Romero. Personajes y temas falconianos en los 450 años de Coro, 26 de julio, 1527-1977. Artegrafía, 1976. p. 45
- ^ Radio Nacional de Venezuela. Nueva bandera regional del estado Falcón. August 3, 2006
- ^ a b Academia de Historia del Estado Carabobo. Comandante Tirso Salaverria y el Grito de Federación
- ^ a b c Institutional Assets and Monuments. Monumento a la Federación Archived 2024-09-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Juan M. García Gruber. El arte y los artistas: sintesis didactica sobre pintura, escultura, arquitectura, musica y teatro en los cinco continentes. Ediciones del Ministerio de Educación, 1987. p. 146
- ^ Institutional Assets and Monuments. La indiferencia propicia el robo de estatuas de bronce en Falcón
- ^ NotiFalcón. ¡Qué barbaridad! Desvalijan el monumento La Federación de Coro (Fotos)