The Cruz de los Palmeros de Chacao is a Latin cross located in the Peñón Diamante, 65 meters to the right of the Oriental Peak of the Chair of Caracas, in the El Avila National Park, Venezuela. It was erected on July 1, 1962, and is associated with the tradition of the Palmeros de Chacao.
The proposal to place a monument in honor of this ancient practice, dating from 1770, came from Dimas Reyes and Jesús María Gil, members of the Santa Cruz de El Pedregal Association, supported by Alejandro Farfán and Sabas Nieves , guardaparque of El Ávila. Once approved, the task of moving up the aluminum laminates with which the cross was assembled was carried out, plus a group of gas cylinders, blowtorches and other tools and ingredients to weld the different parts. Likewise, the Peñón Diamante (2,575 masl) was chosen as the site of its installation due to its granite-based construction, which acquired a notorious brightness when receiving sunlight - hence its name -.
The cross measures 3.30 meters high by 2.16 wide, and can be seen from Caracas especially at sunset. In its base the inscription that commemorates the erection of the monument was also placed: LOS PALMEROS DE CHACAO WITH THE TRADITION OF: DIMAS REYES JESUS Ma. GIL 1-7-62
In 1997 the cross was severely vandalized and technically destroyed. However, on November 2 of that year it was replaced by the Palmeros for another with the same materials and the same measures, counting also with the blessing of the Presbyter Juan Carlos Silva.
It is one of the monumental crosses that is found in this national park, the other being the Cruz del Ávila, which is part of the Venezuelan Christmas celebrations.
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