José Prudencio Padilla

…Manuel Piar in Venezuela and José Padilla in New Granada rose to the rank of general and admiral, respectively, in Bolívar’s forces. In practice, however, the old hierarchies did not fall so easily and continued on informally. Those nonwhites who managed to achieve the status of elites were clearly exceptions…

…Maracaibo on July 24, 1823, José Prudencio Padilla led the 22-vessel fleet of Simón Bolívar’s Republic of Gran Colombia to victory over Ángel Laborde y Navarro’s superior Spanish squadron, which numbered 32 ships crewed by 1,650 highly trained mariners. Against unequal odds, Padilla’s remarkable daring and tactical resource won the…