I heard it said a couple of times before that Simon Bolivar (Simón Bolívar as it is written in Spanish) is the historical character with more statues in the world.
I don’t know if that’s true, but there are certainly statues of the Latin America liberator in places that have nothing to do with his story or achievements. I find that fact surprising and intriguing.
Perhaps knowing a bit about Simon Bolivar The Liberator will help us understand who is this guy that is so famous there are statues of him in Washington D.C., New York, San Francisco, Ottawa, Berlin, London, Cairo, Tehran (to name a few) and in almost every city in Latin America.
Who is this Simon Bolivar anyway?
Simón Bolívar (pronounced SEE-mohn boh-LEE-vahr) was a military and political leader, born in Venezuela at the end of the 18th century.
He earned his famous nickname The Liberator because he led the military campaigns that freed several Latin American countries from the Spanish Empire during the 19th century, though “El Libertador” was a formal title given to him in Mérida, Venezuela.
If you’ve ever been to any country in Latin America, chances are you have run into a statue of him. If you know any Latin people, they most certainly know who Simon Bolivar is because they were taught about him from day one at school.
Simon Bolivar is pretty much the national hero for several countries in Latin America, he is for Latin people, as George Washington or Abraham Lincoln is for Americans.
Early years
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Blanco was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1783 and he had quite a name, didn’t he?
Son of a wealthy creole (People with Spanish parents but born in the Americas) family, Bolivar had a happy childhood, going to school in his native Caracas.
At age 15 he was sent to Madrid, Spain to continue his studies. In 1802 he gets married to María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alaiza. He was 19.
The newlyweds return to Venezuela, but sadly, María Teresa died in 1803 presumably from malaria. He then swears never to be married again.
Revolutionary mind
He went back to Europe where he continued studying and being exposed to the ideas of the Enlightenment.
He even was at Napoleon‘s coronation as emperor in Notre Dame in 1804, event that might inspired in him the vision of becoming a leader, a dictator or president back home.
In 1805 he makes a vow in Rome to free his country.
In 1806 he returns to Venezuela to manage some family business while joining the revolutionary cause.
It is said that it was actually Francisco de Miranda, another Venezuelan General, who initially instilled the idea of a free Venezuela in Simon Bolivar. Miranda had had his own go at the liberating cause, but with no success.
Spain is subjugated by Napoleon
In 1808 during the invasion of Napoleon to Spain, the hold that the Spanish Empire had in the Americas starts to falter, providing revolutionists with perfect opportunities to declare independence from Spain.
Two sides form, the Realistas (who wanted to be ruled by the King of Spain) and the Patriotas (who aimed at independence).
During this period several countries in Latin America started declaring their independence, though making it effective was a different matter altogether.
Simon Bolivar starts his military campaigns
After a series of failed battles, Bolivar begun thinking about how to accomplish independence in a permanent way.
He came to the conclusion that trying to defeat realist and Spanish army forces and preventing them from attempting a reconquista (re-conquest) was not enough.
The isolated and uncoordinated attempts at independence from different regional leaders needed to be united under a single leader and a new, big, strong, solid and powerful country would need to emerge in order to defy any pretense of imperial control.
This is ultimately what led Bolivar to free five countries (six today if you count Panamá) in what is called the Campaña Libertadora (The Liberation Campaign).
La Campaña Libertadora
The steady weakening of the Spanish hold on its conquered territories lead to revolts and independence attempts. By 1818 the Spanish troops in the American continent had been diminished.
It was during this time that he and Francisco de Paula Santander united efforts, Bolivar from Venezuela and Santander from La Nueva Granada (now Colombia and Panamá) against the Spanish troops.
Santander had recruited peasants from the grasslands of the east part of Colombia, as soldiers and between him and Bolivar created an army of guerrillas.
They also had some help from the British Legions who sent troops to their aid, battling against the Spanish.
Pablo Morillo, the General in charge of the Spanish troops knew about the British troops and decided to face them and the patriots on their way to Venezuela.
However, reaching the mountain chain with a terrible rain season, he slowed down and waited thinking that the Ejército Libertador (Liberating Army) would do the same.
However Bolivar and Santander played one of their most famous feats, the Paso de los Andes, going through the Andes mountains, a deed deemed impossible at the time.
Through the Páramo de Pisba Bolivar and Santander caught up with the Spanish Army and produced the Batalla del Pantano de Vargas (Vargas Swamp Battle) on July 25th, 1819. The first victory of the campaign.
Now when you think about the liberation of this five nations, you need to realize that it is a series of battles that were executed in a systematic way, driving the Spanish army away, little by little.
The next battle was the Battle of Boyacá on August 7th, 1819, which marked the independence of Colombia.
On June 24th, 1821, the Battle of Carabobo and on July 23rd , 1821, the Battle of the Lake of Maracaibo gave the independence to Venezuela.
The independence of Quito came with the Battle of Pichincha on May 24th, 1822.
And later on the Perú was freed on August 6th, 1924 at the Battle of Junín.
And the last of the Spanish troops were defeated on December 9th, 1824 at the Battle of Ayacucho, finishing a brilliant campaign to free all the upper portion of South America.
On August 6th, 1825, Bolivia declared its independence after the Battle of Tumusla in April 2nd of the same year.
So what happened to Simon Bolivar afterwards?
Well, he went on to become president of La Gran Colombia, Venezuela, Perú and Bolivia, no less. He did have dictatorial ambition and he fulfilled it.
Bolivar died on December 17th, 1830 of tuberculosis, in the Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino in Santa Marta, Gran Colombia (now Colombia).
So where are these Simon Bolivar statues?
For starters nearly every city in Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Venezuela, Bolivia and Panamá has a Bolivar Square.
It is the main square in Bogotá (Capital of Colombia) and Caracas (Capital of Venezuela and in many other countries.
As for other countries, here we go:
In the USA:
In Canada:
In Europe:
In Asia:
In Africa:
In Latin America:
Well, there are so many, it’s not possible to fit them here. However, let’s look at some weird looking ones:
So you see, there are equestrian statues, busts and just plain standing statues of Bolivar in nearly every continent of the planet. Eat your heart out, Napoleon!
So why are there so many statues of the Latin American hero? I guess he represents freedom and struggle, the fight for ideals and liberty.
Here’s a crazy idea, how about a trip to visit all the statues of Bolivar in the world?
Did you know who Simon Bolivar was? Did you know he had so many statues he had?
Do you know of any other statue of Bolivar that’s curious and I didn’t mention?
Share your comments below or join the conversation in Facebook!
Bolivar had no dictatorial ambitions, in fact he was offered a crown on many occasions but he turned it down because he was an avid republican, he believed in a republic of the people, this is a common misconception because he had the title of “dictator of Peru” but the only reason he had that title was because the Peruvian president (Torres Tagle) and his cabinet betrayed the Peruvian republic by swearing fealty to Spain, so the congress of Peru as its last act granted Bolivar the title of dictator because they knew he was the only person who could possibly liberate Peru and that’s exactly what he did.
Hi Carolina,
We have in Bulgaria a monument of Simon Bolivar in Sofia on Revival (Vazrazhdane) square opened on 19 April 2010 in the framework of the program to mark the 200th anniversary of the independence of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Also in 1983, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Simon Bolivar, a secondary school named after him was opened in Plovdiv (2nd most populous city in our country).
Secondary school “Simon Bolivar” in Plovdiv: http://sousimonbolivar.com/index.php
Best regards,
Boyko
There is an alabaster bust of Simon Bolivar in Surry Hills Sydney, Australia. There is also a bust of Bernardo O’Higgins, recognised as the Liberator of Chile.
Thanks for your summary. Im Venezuelan and lived in Miami around 5 years. Proud to be Venezuelan!!! We hope that USA never will be a socialism or comunist country!!!
The one you’ve noted here in Ottawa of course still stands at its usual spot, with a good view up the street towards the Gatineau Hills. I wonder what Bolivar would think of his likeness being all over the globe.
Every Venezuelan city and town’s main square is a “Bolívar Square” and all of them have a statue of him. The type of statue usually depends on the size of the city: big cities have an equestrian statue, middle sized cities have a standing statue and small towns have a bust.
Maravilloso! Hombre de honor y voluntad de conquista por siempre.
“El Libertador”
J’ai écrit quelque part,sa statue à Carthagène des indes en Colombie, sur son cheval , mais aussi son portrait sur la toile de David au couronnement (sacre) de Napoléon ,qu’il admirait, et auquel il aurait (peut-être) assisté.A vous tous, bonne année 2016
Thanks, Balu! I do believe Bolívar was present the day of Napoleon’s coronation! Happy 2016 to you as well.
Muy buena recopilación, Felicitaciones!!
Sería bueno también diferenciar cuales de ellas fueron regalados por Venezuela en el gobierno de Hugo Chavez, por ejemplo la de Cairo, Holanda,Teherán…, por eso, en muy corto tiempo, vemos que se han multiplicado.
[…] Bam! Statue of Simon Bolivar (Venezuelan political and military leader). Want to know more: http://www.culturaltravelguide.com/simon-bolivar-liberator-statues […]
Hi, there is also a statue of Simon Bolivar in Aruba, Curacao and st. Martin. I have also seen one in Prague and Brussels. The reason why there are so many statues is that Simon Bolivar represent the pure and just cause for “the peoples” struggle.
Thank you for the article.
From Aruba.
Thank you for commenting, Kurt! He keeps popping up!
Hola Carolina, felicitaciones por este resúmen de historia bolivariana…!!!
Gracias, Rafael! De dónde eres?
Sigue adelante con este excelente trabajo.Contiene un punto
de vista excelente sobre el tema y los comentarios son muy acertados.
I was just trying to count how many I’ve seen. Not too many, unfortunately. I’m totally going to start looking for them as I travel, though! :)
Hey, Erica! Perhaps you’d like to stop by my Facebook page and share some pictures of Simón Bolívar when you spot one of his statues! ;-)
There’s also a statue of Bolivar at the marina in downtown Glyfada, Greece……
Wow, I had no idea! Thanks for sharing!
This Guy is my super hero.
Hola! Tambien me gustaria aportar que ademas de todas esas estatuas Bolivar tiene 2 paises con su nombre. La Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela y Bolivia. Venezuela se siente orgullosa de su historia y de sus heroes. Te agradezco y felicito por tu pagina y por este articulo, muy bueno. Saludos desde Venezuela
Gabriel.
Gracias por tu comentario, Gabo! Bienvenido!
There is a Simon Bolivar bust at Arcadia, Pretoria Art Museum in South Africa. As well as bust of him in Beijing, China and Windwardside, Saba Netherlands island.
Here are the links:
South Africa:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/51645968
Netherlands:
http://www.travel-images.com/photo/photo-saba30.html
China:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/28/business/worldbusiness/28energy.html
Wow, nice! Bolívar keeps popping up all over the world!
There is a statue monument Simon Bolivar in Windwardside Saba, Netherlands Island. There is also a bust of Simon Bolivar in Arcadia, Pretoria, South Africa. The other one is a statue located in Canary Islands, of Spain.
Hi there, there are statues of Simon Bolivar in Bern, Switzerland, Harvestehude Hamburg, Germany, Montreal and Quebec in Canada and Italy. Sorry I forgot which place in Italy.
Hi there, there are statues of Simon Bolivar in Bern, Switzerland, Harvestehude Hamburg, Germany, Montreal and Quebec in Canada and Italy. Sorry I forgot which place in Italy.
Wow, thank you! I will research those for sure!
Hi, you forgot Ecuador, Panama, Dominican Republic and many other countries that I can’t remember.
Thank you! Those are quite obvious, though… ;-)
Ud. sabe cuantos hombres componian el ejercito libertador de Simon Bolivar?
Hi! Thank you for your comment! From what I’ve read Bolívar’s army fluctuated from a few hundred men, to about 5000 men at times and some sources claim it may have even been 10.000 men. The thing we need to remember about Bolívar’s army is that it was basically a guerrilla army, peasants would join the army and leave the army sometimes depending on where the different battles were located. So for instance, if you’re a peasant living near Boyacá, you’d join the Libertador’s army while they were fighting nearby. From what I’ve read, some would follow him to the end and some would go back to their places of origin after a while. I’ve found this fantastic article (in spanish) about the army for each of the Freedom Campaign battles in South America lead by Bolívar. http://www.monografias.com/trabajos14/bolivarbat/bolivarbat.shtml
There is also a bust of Simon Bolivar in Port of Spain, Trinidad as well as one in Kingston, Jamaica.
Excellent! Do you have any idea of how many statues are there? Cheers!
We have a Bolívar plaza here in San Salvador, El Salvador. Bolívar not only reminds of the struggle to be free, but also reminds all latin americans of his dream of having an united American continent. That’s also a bit of information that helps to explain why latin americans think of ‘America’ as a continent and not as the name of a country.
Thanks so much for commenting!
Hola Carolina
Hay una estatua de Bolivar en un Parque en San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Aprovecho para felicitarte por tu blog! Lo leo siempre!!!
Saludos
Maria Isabel
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo185/beltz/P1011170.jpg
Fantástico! Gracias por el tip! Y gracias por los comentarios! Muchos saludos.