Simon Bolivar is South America's greatest hero. He led the successful independence movements in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, which is named in his honor.
Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisima Trinidad Bolivar y Ponte Palacios y Blanco was born into a very wealthy family in Caracas, Venezuela in 1783, the year the United States gained its independence from Great Britain. Like most rich young men from South America, he was sent to Europe to study art, government, philosophy and war. Despite learning at the great universities of Europe, it was his childhood teacher, Don Simon Rodriguez, whose lessons on liberty, enlightenment and freedom inspired him to launch the wars of independence across Latin America.
El Libertador, as Bolivar was known throughout Latin America, dreamt of a unified, powerful South American nation that could compete with the great powers of the 1800's - Great Britain, France and the United States. He served as president of Gran Colombia, a massive nation covering much of northern South America and was the target of multiple assassination attempts. Even though his hopes of a great empire were not realized, his legacy lives on throughout the entire continent.
Today, during Hispanic Heritage Month, we recognize Simon Bolivar, El Libertador!
