Negro Felipe is one of the Tres Potencias, or three powers, forming the central trinity of the Venezuelan cult of Maria Lionza, alongside Maria Lionza herself and the indigenous resistance leader Guaicaipuro, both already recorded on this atlas. He is described within the cult as a black Afro-Venezuelan soldier said to have fought in the Venezuelan War of Independence, though no historical record of him has been found; scholars suggest he may represent a blending of other venerated black resistance figures such as Negro Primero and Negro Miguel. Followers gather at Sorte mountain, where mediums are believed to act as intermediaries between pilgrims and the spirits of the cult's courts, organized by identity into categories including indigenous, African, European and Liberator.
Facts
Attestation
Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 HistoricityLegendary: known from narrative tradition, not the historical record 1 Function
Domain / Function Belief
TheologyPolytheistic: many gods 1 Sources
1. The Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend
Anthony S. Mercatante, revised and expanded by James R. Dow, Facts on File
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