Revenant's Bolivares Fuertes Notes
2,000 Bolivares 2007-2017 Issue P96

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Note Details

Set Details
Note Description:
Grade: 68 EPQ
Country:
Note Number:
Seal Type:
Certification #: 1740966-075  
Owner: Revenant
Sets Competing: Revenant's Bolivares Fuertes Notes  Score: 106
Revenant's Venezuelan Bolivares  Score: 106
Date Added: 7/11/2020
Research: Currently not available

Owner's Description

At the time this note was announced, in December 2016, it was worth just under US$0.50.

The front of this note shows Cacique Guaicaipuro – a 16th century native Venezuelan chief that resisted the conquest of the region by the Spanish until his death in 1568.

The Spanish discovered gold in the area controlled by this chieftain’s tribe and started mining for it. He attacked with a coalition of several tribes and forced the Spanish to leave – until the Spanish came back with fresh troops. The Spanish thought they had won and most of the troops left. He then attacked the mines again – ambushing and killing a Spanish conquistador. This rallied more tribes to support Guaicaipuro and the Spanish were forced out – for several years, this time.

In 1567, however, the city of Caracas was founded and the founder – Diego de Losada – wanted the thread of these tribes and this chieftain gone. So, in 1568, native guides led some Spanish soldiers to Guaicaipuro’s hut – which they burned down. When he came out swinging, so to speak, and they killed him.

Featuring this 16th century chieftain is a major departure from the rest of this set, which overwhelmingly features figures from the early 19th century and the struggle for independence from Spain.

In the early 2000s, Hugo Chavez started a new policy of “re-assessing and valuing the role of Venezuela’s indigenous peoples in a historical narrative which has traditionally given greater prominence to the Spanish conquistadores” – history, as they say, is written by the winners. There was a symbolic relocation of his remains (which were never really found) to the national pantheon in late 2001. “Dia de la Raza” (America’s Discovery Day) was rebranded as “Dia de la Resistencia” (Day of Indigenous Resistance). Chavez often mentioned Guaicaipuro and other chiefs “with the purpose of inspiring Venezuelan’s to resist what he called the policies of American Imperialists.” So. this note and other references to Guaicaipuro come off like part of an anti-United States Nationalist PR campaign.

The back of the note shows an American harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) with the Ucaima Falls at Canaima National Park in the background. The harpy eagle is one of the largest living species of eagle in the world and the largest raptor living in a rainforest. Females can weigh 6 to 9 kg normally and wingspans can be 176-224 cm.

The species is almost extinct in Mexico and Central America but is also found throughout Brazil and as far as Argentina.

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