Cañoto
This was my favorite statue when I was here in the
1980s. Today, an older and maybe a
little more jaded, I don’t think it is one of the best made statues in the
world, but I still love it. I like the
jaunty cowboy looking fellow carrying his guitar and gun. He speaks to me of the old west. In Bolivia, that would be the old east.
But who is this guy?
I never thought to ask in the 1980s.
Now I want to know, so I can share it with you.
His name is José Manuel Baca. He was born in 1790 in the province of Santa
Cruz, sometime between October and December.
As a child, he studied grammar and letters, as well as some of the native
Indian languages. He developed a talent
for the guitar, and composed his own songs and poems.
He gained recognition during the War of Independence in the
1810s. He fought in the Battle of Pari
in 1816 and maintained a guerrilla struggle against the loyalists throughout
the war. When the war was over and
Bolivia gained its independence, he was sent to garrison a post in the east as punishment, because he was outspoken in his ideas of the new government. He was a man who wanted freedom.
Eventually he was forced out of the military, so he
retired to a farm to live out the rest of his years.
People who are outspoken about what is right never make it
in a world of politicians. Cañoto was no
different. He had ideas of what is right and what is wrong. He spoke out more times than the government wanted. It took another 100 years for
him to be recognized for his participation in the struggle for independence.
To me, he will ever be the singing cowboy.
Adapted from an article on es.wikipedia.org.
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