| Conflict: | El Porteñazo |
| Date: | 2–6 June 1962 |
| Place: | Venezuela |
| Result: | Government victory |
| Combatants Header: | Government-Insurgents |
| Milstrength1: | Armed Forces of Venezuela |
| Milstrength2: | Rebel forces |
| Commander2: | Manuel Ponte Rodríguez Pedro Medina Silva Víctor Hugo Morales |
| Commander1: | Rómulo Betancourt Alfredo Monch Ricardo Sosa Rios |
| Casualties3: | 400+ dead and 700 injured |
El Porteñazo (2 June 1962 – 6 June 1962) was a short-lived Communist[1] military rebellion against the government of Rómulo Betancourt in Venezuela, in which rebels attempted to take over the city of Puerto Cabello, located ~75miles West of the capital Caracas.[2] The rebellion was on a substantially larger scale than that of El Carupanazo a month earlier.
On 2 June 1962, units led by navy Captains Manuel Ponte Rodríguez, Pedro Medina Silva and Víctor Hugo Morales went into rebellion.[3] The 55th National Guard Detachment declined to participate. The rebellion was crushed by 3 June, leaving more than 400 dead and 700 injured, and by 6 June the rebels' stronghold of Solano Castle had fallen.[3]
A photograph of chaplain Luis María Padilla holding a wounded soldier during the rebellion won the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for Photography and 1962 World Press Photo of the Year for Héctor Rondón of La República.[4] [5] [6]
Different stories retelling the event mourned Venezuela, taking the rebellion as an unjust and unnecessary act of war. Many reconciled what had happened according to their personal and political affiliations.
Alí Brett[7] wrote, according to his investigation:
He concludes his investigation by saying: