Victoriano Lorenzo

Who is Victoriano Lorenzo?

Victoriano Lorenzo was an indigenous Cholo military leader from the Coclé province of the Panamanian isthmus, remembered as a national martyr and symbol of indigenous resistance. Of predominantly indigenous descent, he became a local leader who campaigned for the land rights and political representation of indigenous communities near Penonomé before civil war engulfed Colombia, of which Panama was then a department. During the Thousand Days' War (1899-1902), a conflict between Colombia's Liberal and Conservative parties, Lorenzo commanded forces of indigenous fighters on the Liberal side. After the Liberal defeat at the Battle of Calidonia Bridge in July 1900, he withdrew into the mountains and continued a sustained guerrilla campaign against Conservative government forces. Although the war's peace agreements were understood to include an amnesty for combatants, Lorenzo was arrested and executed by firing squad on 15 May 1903 at what is now Plaza de Francia in Panama City, before a large crowd. His execution, seen by many as a betrayal of the amnesty, provoked lasting public outrage and is remembered as the last officially recorded execution in Panama. In 1966 Panama's National Assembly formally declared the execution unjust, cementing his legacy as a folk hero.

Sources: Executed Today, "1903: Victoriano Lorenzo, cholo" · Wikipedia, "Victoriano Lorenzo" · Newsroom Panama, "On This Day in Panama History: The Execution of Victoriano Lorenzo"