Freedom's Sword
A Breif History of La Espada de Símon Bolívar
Objects have a tendency to be more than their physical form. Some objects may have religious, historical or even practicle value. However, few objects have the ability to be called a symbol of an ideal and also be the very tool to carry out that ideal. The sword of Simon Bolívar is one such object.
Made of heroic steel and laced in gold, the sword of Simon Bolivar reveals the glory and honour for which Bolivar held in 19th century Latin America. Currently held in the Casa De Nariño in Bogota (Columbia), the sword of Simon Bolivar is believed to have been used by Simon Bolivar himself during his campaign in 1813-1828. The sword possesses a rigid steel blade atop a curved golden cross guard, bathed with fiery embroidery. Joining the cross guard to the pommel is a golden loop guard which protects and affirms the warrior’s hand as it is held. Moreover, the hilt is brown in colour with a grip reminiscent of a woodlouse’s shell.
The maker of the sword of Simon Bolivar is unknown, yet the addition of golden embroidery on the sword suggests it was made not only for use in battle, but also to evoke a sense of prestige and honour for the wielder. At a glance, a sword would be strictly used as a weapon of death - its sole purpose is to deliver swift blows to the enemy and bring upon precise destruction. However, if any properly made sword can cause such fatal damage to an enemy, why go through the trouble of forging a sword as beautiful as the peaks of Bogota?
Not only has the sword of Simon Bolivar been made for use on the battlefield, to strike with conviction and precision, but also to scream into the faces of the enemy the sheer power and status of Bolivar. Arguably, this intimidation can be extended outside of the battlefield and onto the political plane. Bolivar wielding a sword of such beauty could have highlighted his status and influence on a social level. Standing before Bolivar as he is adored with his sword, you physcially feel the grand influence he possesses through the mighty sword on his waist.
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios Ponte y Blanco was a statesman and military officer born on the 24th of July 1783 in Caracas, Venezuela. A leading figure of the revolution against the Spanish in Latin America, Bolivar was hell bent on ending the Spanish sphere of influence in Latin America. Sparked by
Napoleon’s actions in the French Revolution and specifically by Napolean’s invasion of Spain in 1808, Bolivar devoted his entire being in ending the Spanish influence in Latin America. In 1813 Bolivar introduced his ‘Admirable Campaign’, a turning point in Venezuela’s long fight for independence against the Spainsh. During the launch of the campaign, he issued the ‘Decree of War to the Death’ whereby he declared the harsh terms of his fight to free Venezuela and his relentlessness to pirsue this war. The decleration sparked an explosive thunder of terror, massacre and ridicule to the Spanish people in Venezuela; this exposes the degree to which not only Bolivar himself felt towards the Spanish rule, but also how the country as a whole viewed the Spainsh.
In addition to his fiery decree, Bolivar’s leadership was equally instrumental in the victory of the Battle of Taguanes on July 31, 1813. The battle took place near the town of Taguanes, as a result of the Second Repulblic of Venezuela’s triumph against the Spanish, Bolivar was able to march to Valencia and Caracas - successfully clawing these key cities of Venezuela away from the Spanish and back into the hands of the people.
While freeing Venezuela from the Spanish, Bolivar also founded the republic Gran Colombia; which he served as its first president from 1819-1830. Gran Colom- bia spaned its territory across moddernday: Colombia, Venezuela, Panama and Ecuador; this proved that Bolivar’s mission for a united Latin America free from Spanish influence did not just succeed, but even bloomed into the union of so many countries.
Simon Bolivar’s sword is not just an image of Simon Bolivar, rather it is an encap- sulation of the freedom, longevevity and legacy of life itself. However, images of freedom and prosperity can tend to fall into the hands of radical and oftentimes dangerous groups. In a shocking raid of the Quinta de Bolívar on the 17th January 1974, the Marxist guerrilla group M19 stormed the museum and tore away Bolivar’s sword from the people, bathing the beloved jewel of the Columbian people with the blood of criminals. In an act of heresy, M19 left a note in place of the sword, reading simply: “Bolívar, tu espada vuelve a la lucha.”, which translates to “Bolívar, your sword returns to the fight”. In the aftermath of the robbery, Bolivar’s sword floated between the homes of poets and intelectuals who supported M19’s ideologies until it was aledegdy taken to Cuba in 1980. In an act of peace, the sword was later returned to the Columbian government on the 31st of January 1991, the sword was then placed in the Casa De Nariño where it currently resides.
M19’s robbery of the sword simultaneously stained the previously mythical allure of the sword and highlighted the degree of Bolivar’s belief: freedom no matter the cost. During Bolívar’s campaign, men, women and children were killed in pirsuit of freedom for the Latin people of South America. Yet was this loss of life justifed? Murder was enacted by Bolívar’s regieme for liberation from the Spanish. Murder was brandished by M19 in pirsut of freedom. However, Bolívar is often glorified for challenging the Spanish whilst M19 is vilified as a death squad. It is fitting that M19 stole the sword as both Bolívar and M19 displayed a passion for freedom, rising into a crescendo of death. M19 being in posession of the sword at a glance can be viewed as a tearing down of a once great symbol for freedom, when in reality the sword’s symbol never faded. The acquisition merely illustrated that the passion for freedom is everpresent in modern day, yet perhaps the justified cost of freedom has been blurred.
Simon Bolívar’s sword still glares with the reflection of passion, purpose and freedom. From the mythical campaign of Bolívar to liberate Latin Amercia, to the robbery of the sword by M19, Bolívar’s passion and adoration of freedom is forever encapsulated in his sword. Rarely can an object which is imbued with such mighty ideals be not only a symbol, but a tool used in the fight for freedom.