Revolutionary Moments in Latin American History

Simon Bolivar

The single most influential leader in Latin American history, El Libertador led Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela to victory over the Spanish. He became the second president of Venezuela and president of the short-lived multi-country Gran Colombia, and of Peru and Bolivia. A tireless warrior and visionary, he is responsible for planting the seeds of democracy (and later, as he struggled to retain power, of dictatorship) throughout the continent between 1808 and 1829.