Battle of Lake Maracaibo

Battle of Lake Maracaibo
Part of Venezuelan War of Independence
Painting by José María Espinosa Prieto (1796-1883)
Date July 24, 1823 Location Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela Result Decisive Colombian Victory
Belligerents
Greater Colombia	Spanish Monarchy
Commanders
José Prudencio Padilla	Ángel Laborde

The Battle of Lake Maracaibo was fought on July 24, 1823 in Venezuela's Lake Maracaibo between Admiral José Prudencio Padilla and royalist Captain Ángel Laborde.

The battle was won by the republican forces, and was the last battle of the Venezuelan War of Independence in particular and the larger South American wars of independence. The ships belonged to the forces of Gran Colombia led by Simón Bolívar.

The Battle of Carabobo of 1821 is usually seen in the historiography as the culminating battle for Venezuelan independence, but many historians point out that if the Battle of Lake Maracaibo had been a victory for the royalist forces, the Spanish Crown might have set a new front in Western Venezuela from which to attack the republican forces stationed in Venezuela. As a result of the loss, the Spanish Crown did not send any new regiments to Venezuela, and finally accepted Venezuelan independence as a result of this second decisive patriot victory, although it did not formally recognize the new nation for more than a decade afterwards.

July 24th is a regional holiday of the Zulia state.

References

• (Spanish) A racconto of the battle
• (Spanish) José Prudencio Padilla

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