298 years ago Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte was born

Published at: 15/10/2024 08:35 AM

Don Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte Andrade, father of the Liberator Simon Bolivar, was born in La Victoria, Aragua state, on October 15, 1726, the result of the marriage between Juan Bolívar and Martínez and Villegas, and María Petronila de Ponte Andrade y Marín.

This man, a descendant of one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the Captaincy General of Venezuela.

In 1743, at just 16 years old, he entered the military career under the orders of Governor Gabriel de Zuloaga, defending the Port of La Guaira from the attack of the English fleet under the command of Admiral Charles Knowles and in 1747 his courage was recognized when he was appointed prosecutor of Caracas by the members of the Cabildo.

From this moment on, he began to hold various important positions within the colonial administration, including: Lieutenant Governor, Corregidor, Corporal of War, Judge of Comisos de la Victoria and San Mateo, organizer of the Pardos Militias, Administrator of the Royal Treasury and Colonel of the Ruled Militia Battalion of the Valleys de Aragua.

In 1773, he married María de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco, with whom he had five children: María Antonia, Juana Nepomucena, Juan Vicente, Simón José Antonio and María del Carmen.

Many historians agree that Juan Vicente Bolívar, together with the Marquis de Mijares and Martín Tovar, wrote several letters to Francisco de Miranda asking for his help to free Venezuela from the Spanish colonial yoke, which appear among the archives of the Generalissimo.

He died in the Province of Caracas on January 19, 1786, when his youngest son, Simon, was just two years old.

Mazo News Team