1795-May: A multiracial force of hundreds of slaves, free blacks, and zambos descended from the highlands to attack the coastal town of Coro in western Venez…

1795-May: A multiracial force of hundreds of slaves, free blacks, and zambos descended from the highlands to attack the coastal town of Coro in western Venezuela. Led by José Caridad González and Jose Leonardo Chirinos, the rebels sought to establish a “republic” based on the “law of the French” which promised an end to slavery and ethnic hierarchy. The sighting of French privateers off the coast had emboldened the insurgents, who believed they would receive military support from the revolutionaries. Though the Spanish militia eventually secured the capital and suppressed the revolt, the uprising stood as a formidable challenge to colonial rule. This event demonstrated the power of the Haitian example in inspiring the oppressed to imagine a decolonized future.