Bolívar (Luis Gerónimo Abreu, with José Ramón Barreto as young Simón) was born at a wealthy "hacienda" in Spanish Venezuela. He was a friend with the slaves, and opposed injustices from his early age, helped by a teacher who instructed him on free thinking. This teacher would take part in a rebellion against the Spanish rule, which was defeated by the "Oidor" (grand judge of the Spanish crown effectively ruling Venezuela), and all members executed. Bolívar, just a kid, did not take part in it, but was aware of it and the outcome.
As a teenager he moved to Europe to study. He met the Queen of Spain and convinced her to change the "Oidor", and got married to María Teresa. Unfortunately, Teresa got ill and died right after visiting Venezuela.
From that point on, he started a military rebellion against the Spanish authorities in the Americas. He slowly drove the Spanish armies away, and created the unified "Gran Colombia".
Tropes
- Evil Cripple: Carlos Palacios is evil and mean, but has a malformed intestine which has him frequently shouting in agony for hours.
- Evil Uncle: Carlos Palacios, Simón's uncle. Simón Bolívar inherited everything from his mother, but as he was still a minor Palacios got temporary custody. He plotted with the Oidor to bypass the limits to his power and sell the haciendas and slaves before Bolívar became a grown up man and took control of them.
- Hero of Another Story: The campaigns of José de San Martín in Argentina, Chile and Peru are only mentioned, but not shown.
- How We Got Here: The series start with Bolívar during the war, remembering how it all began. It was just an introduction, as the series actually starts with the young Simón Bolívar.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: James Lawrence, who plays the very British Marquess Wellesleynote (credited as Wellsey), is an American actor working almost exclusively in Spanish-language media, which is probably why Wellesley has an American accent when speaking English and a Mexican one when speaking Spanish, as ridiculous and distracting as it is (most likely, neither he nor the largely-Colombian crew ever noticed). At least all of the other actors perfectly execute the various accents and languages of their characters, though they are generally cast from the right places.
- Overly Long Name: Bolívar's wife was María Teresa Rodríguez del Toro y Alayza. His mother was María de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco. These are not even their full names.
- Put on a Bus: Bolívar's family are important in the first parts of the series, but disappear from focus once the war of independence starts.
- Two Lines, No Waiting: At one point the series follow both Simón Bolívar and the young Manuelita Sáenz. Manuelita is a rebel and admires Bolívar, but the two plots do not intersect until a long time later, when she's an adult.
