Alma Llanera: un adefesio convertido en himno popular

at the beginning of the twentieth century, juan vicente gómez adopted as policy the promoting of a national culture regarded as ？criollo？ and identified with the values of the lowland plains which border the orinoco and apure rivers (los llanos). one of the intellectuals who most contributed to forging this ideology during the gómez period was pedro elias gutiérrez, soldier, compositor and director of the caracas martial band. his audience ranged from those who went the theater to the wider public attending the performances in the plaza bolivar every week from thursday to sunday. it was he who most popularized alma llanera, which had originally been a soap opera theme (？zarzuela？) and was converted into a national icon. during the course of the fourty years during which he conducted the martial band in the central square of caracas, this song became that most identified with venezuela abroad.