Simon Bolivar (Great Hispanic Heritage)

Born into a wealthy Venezuelan Creole family, Simón Bolívar grew up petulant, capricious, bossy, and accustomed to getting his own way at every turn. By the age of 22, however, he had matured to the point of committing to the liberation of northern South America from Spanish rule. To do so, the "George Washington" of Latin American independence, known as El Libertador, traveled 20,000 miles on horseback and fought in almost 300 battles and skirmishes. One of the greatest military geniuses of all time, Bolívar, at his peak, controlled close to three million square miles in South America, more than Eastern and Western Europe combined. Yet, at the time of his death, when seeking voluntary exile from the land of his birth, Bolívar was denounced as a demagogue by elites of the six countries he had liberated. Nonetheless, Simón Bolívar lives today in the hearts of millions of Latin Americans who see El Liberator as a hero. This new biography of Simón Bolívar includes engaging text, photographs, and illustrations, as well as reference features such as a chronology and timeline, further resources, and an index for quick reference.… (more)