Americans for Chavez is a project of...

What is a "Bolivarian Circle"?

Bolivarian Circles, or Circulos Bolivarianos (CBs), first began developing in Venezuela in 2000 as small local groups with a particular local goal in mind. One Circle might form to clean up a particular neighborhood, another might set up to provide some local service to their neighbors, and so on. This is the grassroots element of the Bolivarian Revolution entirely initiated by local people with local concerns. In 2001 President Chavez officially endorsed this grassroots initiative and began registering “official” circles. Those with Spanish can learn a lot more about the initiative by visiting the official CB website at http://www.circulosbolivarianos.org/.

Beginning in 2003, the Bolivarian Circle movement began expanding beyond Venezuela’s borders, first being adopted by Venezuelans living elsewhere and then quickly expanding among supporters and admirers of the Bolivarian Revolution with no real connection to Venezuela at all. These Circulos Bolivarianos Internacionales are recognized by the official CB movement, but not in a formalized or regulated fashion. To quote the CyberCircle Website::

”According to CB literature, the function of international Circles is not only to perform acts of solidarity, but also to work for the improvement and empowerment of their own communities. This is an important departure from the usual patronizing stance of solidarity movements. It shows genuine recognition and emulation of the Bolivarian process. … Each International Circle is completely autonomous as there is no hierarchical structure. … “

During the May 20, 2006 Venezuela/Cuba solidarity demonstrations around the country, the May 20 Coalition included more than seventeen international Bolivarian Circles, at least twelve of which were from the United States. Those Circles with websites can be visited via our Links Page. Bolivarian Circle "Chief Tierra Blanca" is simply a new international circle in Denver, Colorado.

Who was Chief Tierra Blanca?

The struggle for Native American/Indigenous rights has a strong presence in Colorado as is exemplified by the American Indian Movement. As a consequence - and following in the tradition of other international Bolivarian Circles in naming themselves in honor of some activist or freedom fighter whose goal is in line with the Bolivarian Revolution - we chose to name our Circle after Chief Tierra Blanca from southern Colorado.

In 1848 the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, that concluded the Mexican-American War, ceded all the territory of the Ute peoples to the United States and this was immediately followed by an upsurge in Anglo penetration of their territories. Like other Western American peoples, the Utes did not recognize land as a private commodity that they could justifiably be excluded from by Anglo homesteaders. Therefore, as the Anglos began tilling fields and fencing off pastures the Utes responded with periodic raids on the settlers. Unlike some other Western American peoples, the Utes appreciated the value of diplomacy and constantly engaged in a cycle of raids followed by negotiation and temporary truce with the Anglo settlers.

In 1854, Kit Carson, U.S. Indian Agent to the Ute peoples, gave a number of Ute leaders blanket coats infected with small pox at a peace conference in Taos, New Mexico. The conference was meant to settle a dispute between the Utes and Mexican colonists and the coats were American gifts to the Ute leaders. While this was probably not deliberate, two of the primary Ute leaders contracted the disease and died leading directly to the First Ute War 1854-1855.

The war began when Chief Tierra Blanca organized a force of Mouache Utes and Jicarilla Apache and launched an attack on Fort Pueblo, Colorado on Christmas Day, 1854. After this, Chief Blanca and his allies continued to resist Anglo settlers throughout the San Luis Valley.

The United States reaction was predictable. Brig. General John Garland organized a full invasion of Ute territory by hundreds of soldiers and Kit Carson – the Indian Agent responsible for starting the war in first place – served as chief guide to the U.S. forces. The military finally caught up with Chief Blanca and his force at the headwaters of the Saguache Creek, on the trail to Cochetopa Pass, at modern Saguache, Colorado on March 19, 1855. The battle went to the United States with eight braves and two U.S. soldiers being killed before Chief Blanca and his forces were able to retreat into the mountains.

U.S. pursuit continued unabated. On April 25, 1855 the U.S. forces attacked a group of Mexican-American irregulars from Pueblo that they mistook for Apaches at Chicosa Arroyo, just north of modern Trinadad, Colorado. On the same day they found an encampment of 60 Jicarilla Apache whom they promptly attacked. Six braves were killed, seven captured, and the rest managed to escape while U.S. forces suffered no casualties.

Meanwhile a separate U.S. force under the command of Col. Thomas T. Fauntleroy pursued Chief Blanca and his main force into the Sangre de Cristo/San Juan Mountains. On April 29, 1855, the U.S. forces caught up with Chief Blanca at Poncha Pass, near modern Poncha Springs, Colorado. In the ensuing massacre, fifty braves – a third of Chief Blanca’s force – were slaughtered as they danced in their camp. The U.S. lost one soldier and had two wounded. After this crushing defeat by U.S. forces, the Ute revolt collapsed and on September 11, 1855 a treaty was concluded though it was never ratified by the United States. Chief Tierra Blanca, his resistance being effectively crushed and being reined in by fellow Mouache chiefs, signed the treaty with an “X”.

Chief Tierra Blanca led his people’s first serious resistance to United States encroachment and efforts to wipe out their traditional way of life here in Colorado. Therefore we opt to honor this nearly forgotten freedom fighter by naming our Bolivarian Circle after him. Noting the role that indigenous rights play in the Bolivarian Revolution, as well as its outspoken opposition to U.S. imperialism, this seems a worthy person for whom to name our Bolivarian Circle.

Ute warriors, circa 1860, original photographs

About Bolivarian Circle "Chief Tierra Blanca"

Bolivarian Circle “Chief Tierra Blanca” is in the tradition of both the international Bolivarian Circles in that we wish to both promote solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution while encouraging improvement here in the United States; as well as the Bolivarian Circles inside Venezuela in that we are small independently-organized group of people and the Circle has a limited focus. For the record, all of our members are either Anglo- or Arab-American and none of us have direct ties to Venezuela or the Venezuelan people. Instead, we are emulating the Bolivarian model because we all firmly believe that the Bolivarian Revolution represents the best political model in the Americas today and would like to see the United States adopt many of its principles. Further, in that our Bolivarian Circle is primarily focused on the Americans For Chavez project, we do not in anyway wish to discourage the formation of other Bolivarian Circles in the Denver/Boulder area or in Colorado in general. We are more than happy to encourage and support any other Bolivarian initiative in our area, be it modeled as a Bolivarian Circle or otherwise.