“Our world of blue berets
His voice invites you to listen
push life towards the soul
in a message of triumphant march!"
(Anthem of the Central University of Venezuela)
For decades, Venezuelan university students have been
recognized by a distinctive blue beret, worn at ceremonies, marches, and
academic events. Few, however, know the origins of this emblem that sets
Venezuelan students apart worldwide.
The story begins in 1927, during the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gómez, when universities were largely silenced by repression. Two young women from Caracas society, sisters María Luisa and Lola Blanco Meaño, ordered a batch of blue berets from the Paris department store Au Bon Marché. In early 1928, students Miguel Otero Silva and Uberto Mondolfi purchased several and began wearing them daily to classes, sparking immediate interest among their peers.
The remaining berets were soon distributed in solidarity with students organizing Carnival festivities to raise funds for a Student Center to support disadvantaged students from the provinces, at a time when most regional universities were closed. These activities were coordinated by the newly formed Federation of Students of Venezuela (FEV), led by law student Raúl Leoni.
Public parades in February 1928 marked the first mass
appearance of the blue beret. Speeches and celebrations quickly took on
political overtones, provoking repression and the imprisonment of many
students. In response, women from Caracas society joined the protests, also
wearing blue berets.
By 1929, the symbol assumed a more tragic meaning. A small group of students studying abroad abandoned their studies to join General Román Delgado Chalbaud’s armed expedition. Wearing their blue berets, they sailed toward Venezuela, many to their deaths, fixing the beret forever as a symbol of student unity, resistance, and sacrifice.
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