Simón Bolívar: Early Life and Aristocratic Origins
His father, Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte, and his mother, Doña María de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco, belonged to the Caracas aristocracy. When they married in 1773, there was a significant age difference between the spouses: Juan Vicente was 47 years old, and Concepción was 15. They had four children: Juan Vicente, María Antonia, Juana, and María del Carmen, all older than Simón.
The Bolívar family came from a village called La Puebla de Bolívar in Vizcaya (Basque Country, Spain), then located in the *merindad* of Marquina. From the beginning of the colony, members of the Bolívar family played prominent roles in Venezuela.
The first Bolívar to arrive in Venezuela was Simón Bolívar, who, together with his son, arrived in Caracas in 1589, thirty years after the city’s founding. Because they shared the same name, they are distinguished as Simón Bolívar the Elder and Simón Bolívar the Younger.
Bolívar the Elder stood out as *Contador* (Accountant), by special privilege of King Philip II. The King, in the title of appointment, reiterated his extensive reliance on Bolívar as a watchman of the Royal Treasury. Bolívar held this position for himself and his son in Margarita and Caracas.
He was also Attorney General of the cities of Caracas, Coro, Trujillo, Barquisimeto, Carora, Tocuyo, and Maracaibo to the Spanish court between 1590 and 1593. His duty was to report to King Philip on the status of the province and request improvements, tax breaks, and privileges to facilitate its development.
Among his achievements for Caracas is having secured, through the Council of the Indies, the royal grant of the coat of arms which the city still holds, along with the title of “Very noble and loyal city.”
Over time, the Bolívars intermarried with the families of the first settlers of Venezuela and attained ranks and distinctions such as Alderman. Some obtained the titles of nobility of Marquess and Viscount of Bolívar Cocorote, associated with the transfer of the Cocorote Mines and the power to administer the estate of Aroa, known for its rich copper mines (although these titles were not formally granted).
As for the Palacios family, they originated from the area of Miranda de Ebro, now in the province of Burgos, Spain. The first Palacios to arrive in Venezuela was José Palacios Ortiz de Zárate, a native of Miranda de Ebro, in 1647. He died in Caracas in 1703. His descendants married into other aristocratic families and held positions such as mayor, alderman, and attorney. Two generations later, María de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco, the mother of Simón Bolívar, was born.
Childhood
References in Bolívar’s correspondence suggest that his childhood was joyful, happy, and secure. He was surrounded by strong family connections and had fond memories of prominent and influential relatives within an aristocratic environment. This environment provided him with emotional balance, love, and affection.
Some anecdotes popular in Venezuela portray Bolívar as a wild child. Romantic writers, believing that an exceptional man could not have been a normal child, attributed an unruly childhood to him. However, it has been shown that these stories were invented by Aristides Rojas, an excellent storyteller who often used his imagination due to a lack of documentation.
Simón, of Basque descent through Bolibarjauregui but also of mixed race, was born on the night of July 24-25, 1783, in a manor house located in the Plaza San Jacinto de Caracas. His full name was Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Ponte de la Concepción Palacios y Blanco. He was baptized on July 30, 1783, at the Cathedral of Caracas by Dr. Juan Félix Jerez Aristeguieta, his first cousin. According to Don Juan Vicente, the child’s father, Aristeguieta gave him the name Simón.
In January 1786, when Simón was two years old, his father died of tuberculosis. Doña Concepción became the head of the household, effectively safeguarding the family’s interests until her death.