Important sculpture that was part of the historical heritage was stolen in Suaita, Santander

The inhabitants and authorities of Suaita, a municipality in the department of Santander, are outraged by the insecurity that exists at this time. In addition to the theft of citizens and shops, thieves recently affected the municipality's historical heritage by stealing the bust of Lucas Caballero, the first founder of a textile factory in the country.

The complaint was made public nationwide through social networks, due to complaints from citizens and observers of the municipality. Through a video, the resident and watcher of Suaita, Anselmo Sánchez, announced that the statue was stolen on the night of April 14 and called on the authorities to find out the whereabouts of the figure and the robbers.

“They came and stole the bust of Lucas Caballero and the plaque, that figure is made of bronze. Please, if people took it to sell it, please don't do that harm to us. We, the people of the community, are collecting to get it back to us,” the man said in the video.

As portrayed by Caracol Radio Bucaramanga, after the complaint was made public, local authorities reached the place where, until last Holy Thursday, the sculpture of the important man was resting. At this time an investigation is proceeding through the area to find out the whereabouts of the thieves and the bust.

The citizen added that some people who were in the area on Thursday afternoon “say they saw a van parked there. At 6pm the bust and plaque were there, so we assumed it was stolen after 8pm. This is regrettable because of the historical importance of Mr. Lucas Caballero.” For their part, the authorities are moving forward with the review of security cameras to identify the license plates of the van and find out if it is related to the theft.

It should be noted that Caballero has been part of the history of Santander and the country for more than 100 years, since he was the first Colombian to found a yarn and fabric factory in Colombia, which was located in San José de Suaita. The community has pointed out that, although the plaque of the figure was already worn, it is part of the historical heritage of the municipality and very important for the inhabitants.

Lucas Caballero Barrera, was an important politician and general in the liberal armies during the thousand-day war. According to the Cultural Network of the Banco de la República, “in 1907 he established a small sugar mill on the hacienda of San José. It was no longer a question of producing traditional sugar breads in pailas similar to those that are still used today in bread making, but about making centrifuged sugar, concentrating the juices of the canes with vacuum cans. Likewise, a chocolate shop and a distillery were founded on the hacienda.”

In 1912 he undertook the artisanal manufacture of fabrics in a modern textile industry. In addition to local cotton, he believed that cassava starch could be used for the gumming of fabrics and dyeing plants for dyeing.

It should be noted that in Suaita, Santander, there is also another monument, which is the bust of Archbishop Fernando Caicedo y Florez. This figure was recently changed by the local authorities, since the bust was already worn and was in bronze, as was the figure of Lucas Caballero.

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