Simon Bolivar is Venezuela’s grand folk hero, and everywhere in the country you will find squares with statues and busts of Simon Bolivar.
Simon Bolivar was born on the 24th of July 1783, and both his parents died before he reached the age of ten. He was an intelligent young man and by the age of sixteen he traveled to Spain and France to expand his education.
Three years later he got married to Maria Teresa from Spain, and traveled back to Caracas with her. Unfortunately, Maria Teresa died of yellow fever in Caracas a few months later. Simon was devastated by her death, and subsequently decided to dedicate his life and his wealth to the fight of freedom against the Spanish rule. As part of the preparation for this task, he traveled to the United States and returned in 1807, ready to fight the Spaniards. Simon Bolivar’s intension was to liberate Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and merge these countries into a “Grand Colombia”. He managed to liberate Colombia in 1819 and Venezuela in 1821, and Simon Bolivar was subsequently declared President. However, it was difficult for him to impose himself as president while he was, at the same time, absent fighting for liberty in Peru and Ecuador.
As a consequence, Simon Bolivar concentrated all powers in his own hands, in 1828, to avoid loosing his status. This was, of course, not a very popular act – not even among Bolivar´s closest friends who soon disappeared out of his life. Simon Bolivar resigned as a president in the beginning of 1830 after having miraculously survived a murder attempt. He died, poor and friendless, of tuberculosis the 17th of December 1830 in, Santa Marta, a small town in Colombia, it was only twelve years later that the Venezuelans seriously understood to whom they owed their freedom. Thus, Simon Bolivar’s earthly remains were moved from Santa Marta to the cathedral of Caracas. Later in 1876 Simon Bolivar was moved to the National Pantheon where he still remains.
