The earthquake that became a political weapon

On the 26th of March 1812, Maundy Thursday, this cathedral was full of worshippers when an earthquake tore through Caracas, killing an estimated fifteen to twenty thousand people across the city. Venezuela was barely a year into its fight for independence from Spain at the time, and royalist authorities didn't waste the moment. They called the earthquake divine punishment for the rebellion, and the argument stuck. That July, the fragile new republic fell.

A cathedral is supposed to be a place people gather for comfort. For a few months in 1812, this one became a piece of political ammunition instead.

I painted it in watercolour and ink, all that white colonial stone. There's a poster with a letter home and a postcard, if you'd like one.

Shop the poster here: Caracas Cathedral, Venezuela · Travel Poster