Simón Bolívar

Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military leader who liberated much of South America from Spanish colonial rule in the early 19th century.

Called "El Libertador," he led independence movements across what became Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia—the last named in his honor.

Bolívar envisioned a unified South American federation, though this dream fractured after his death.

His name invokes Latin American independence and anti-colonial struggle: Chávez styled himself as Bolívar's heir.