Bolívar: un héroe hispano

This paper examines the assessment of Simón Bolívar’s accomplishments by the Spanish writers of the end of the 19th century after Spain had lost its vast American empire. We propose to analyze the inclusion of Bolívar in the repertoire of heroes that Spain had produced throughout its history in the essays of Joaquín Costa and Miguel de Unamuno. They suggest that Bolívar had acted in accordance with the wishes of the Spanish people—though not of its government—when he declared war on Spain. By separating the people’s wishes from the government’s actions, the authors were able to make a convincing argument that the Wars of Independence and subsequent political struggles never intended to hurt the relations between the two peoples. Moreover, both peoples were aware of the Hispanic heritage that united them. We conclude that in the face of a low national morale, the writers sought out contemporary personalities whose actions resembled those of the legendary heroes of the Spanish past to awaken a patriotism that had diminished with the loss of the empire.