In the early 1800s, machetes, which originated as agricultural tools, gained prominence as versatile weapons during the Latin American independence wars. Notably, in Venezuela, under the leadership of Simón Bolívar, these bladed tools were transformed into effective instruments of revolution. The machete's adaptability made it a symbol of resistance and empowerment, particularly in the Caribbean plantations where enslaved people fought for their freedom.

Machetes symbolize resistance in Latin American revolutionary poetry and prose, informing magical realist works and postcolonial verse on liberation struggles.