2020-07-24 Fri

Venezuela celebrates two holidays on July 24. The first one is Simon Bolivar Day, and the second one is Navy Day. This holiday honors the Battle of Lake Maracaibo that took place in 1823.

The Battle of Lake Maracaibo was fought on Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. This battle is often called the Naval Battle of the Lake. Its sides were Republican fleet under command of Admiral Jose Prudencio Padilla (Gran Colombia) and Royal fleet under command of Captain Angel Laborde (Spain).

The battle was won by the Republican forces. The battle became the last one in the Venezuelan War of Independence. The Venezuelan fleet was part of the armed forces of Gran Colombia, led by Simon Bolivar. The day of the Battle of Lake Maracaibo is observed on the territory of Venezuela as Navy Day. Battle of Lake Maracaibo Day is observed under its name only in the state of Zulia.

In the year 1987, Venezuela issued 20 bolivar banknote to commemorate the Bicentennial Birth Anniversary of General Urdaneta. The banknote depicts, on the reverse, the war scene of the Battle of Lake Maracaibo.

Image Courtesy: banknotecoinstamp.com