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''Dios y Federación'' () is considered the traditional state motto of
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
. It was first used as the rallying cry of the rebel forces during the
Federal War The Federal War () — also known as the Great War or the 5 Year War — was a civil war in Venezuela between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party over the monopoly the Conservatives held over government positions and land ownership, an ...
, and it was subsequently incorporated into the country's
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
after the conflict ended in 1863.


History

According to an account by historian José Gil Fortoul, two French adventurers who had joined the forces of General Ezequiel Zamora near Barinas initially suggested that the customary ''...your humble servant''
valediction A valediction (Derivation (linguistics), derivation from Latin ''vale dicere'', "to say farewell"), parting phrase, or complimentary close in American English, is an expression used to say farewell, especially a word or phrase used to end a lett ...
in written communications be replaced with ''
Liberté, égalité, fraternité (; French for , ), is the national motto of France and the Republic of Haiti, and is an example of a tripartite motto. Although it finds its origins in the French Revolution, it was then only one motto among others and was not institutio ...
'', which was finally modified to ''Dios y Federación''. The phrase subsequently became emblematic of the rebel movement. After the signing of the Treaty of Coche in April 1863 and the establishment of the new government by the victorious rebels, General
Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Juan Crisóstomo Falcón Zavarce (27 January 1820 – 29 April 1870) was the president of Venezuela from 1863 to 1868.First Republic of Venezuela The First Republic of Venezuela () was the first independent government of Venezuela, lasting from 5 July 1811, to 25 July 1812. The period of the First Republic began with the overthrow of the Spanish colonial authorities and the establishment ...
.


Later use

Although without legal basis, the phrase has been traditionally considered the country's motto, even after it was officially abandoned. Today, its significance is more political than historical, since for many people in Venezuela it represents the desire to see a return to the decentralized federal system, away from the centralist and authoritarian regimes of recent years. The motto is still featured in the coat of arms of the state of Barinas. It was part of the state flag of
Falcón Falcón State (, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. The state capital is Coro, Venezuela, Coro. The state was named after Juan Crisóstomo Falcón. History Early history Present day Falcón State was first explored ...
until 2006, and it is still used in official documents by the Judicial branch of Venezuela. ''Dios y Federación'' was also used occasionally in official communications by the government of
Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...
in the 1820s.Hittel, p. 106


See also

* History of Venezuela


References


Bibliography

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dios y Federacion National mottos Political catchphrases Political history of Venezuela