Juan Bautista Arismendi

Who was Juan Bautista Arismendi?

Juan Bautista Arismendi 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 Isla Margarita in 1775. He was a captain when the revolution broke out and took command of the patriots and drove the Spanish General Pablo Morillo from the island after a long conflier. He was one of the leaders that assembled a provincial congress at Angostura on 20 July 1817, and put at the head of the government a triumvirate of which Bolivar was a member. In 1819 he assisted Bolivar and Paez to drive Morillo from New Granada and from the greater part of Venezuela. In Bolivar's absence the Angostura congress forced Zea, whom he had appointed vice-president, to resign, and chose Arismendi in his place. On his return Bolivar restored Zea and exiled Arismendi to Margarita. Notwithstanding this, Arismendi espoused the cause of Bolivar during the insurrection headed by Paez, in 1826, and rendered great service to the nation.