The Guacamaya
The Guacamaya is a podcast about Venezuela—its history, politics, and the forces that shaped the country we know today. From dictators and coups to oil, democracy, and the rise of Hugo Chávez, each episode goes beyond the headlines to explain how Venezuela got here... and where it may be going next.
The Guacamaya
The Day Chávez Failed… (For Now)
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Episode 1 | On February 4, 1992, a little-known army officer named Hugo Chávez launched a military coup against the Venezuelan government. By dawn, the coup had failed. But then something unexpected happened...
For less than two minutes on live television, Chávez transformed himself from an unknown colonel into the most important political figure in Venezuela.
In this episode, we tell the story of the coup that changed Venezuela forever: the chaos of that night, the soldiers who followed Chávez, and the country that made his rise possible.