(Episode 32) - The story begins with Simón Bolívar as a soldier rousing his comrades who have grown weary in the fight for independence, before flashing back to his wedding day in Spain and again to his childhood. A young Simón enjoys all the luxuri…
(Episode 32) - The story begins with Simón Bolívar as a soldier rousing his comrades who have grown weary in the fight for independence, before flashing back to his wedding day in Spain and again to his childhood. A young Simón enjoys all the luxuries of a criollo life until his mother, then grandfather, die, leaving his future in the hands of a maternal uncle who wants to take the Bolívar fortune as his own. Simón, an active child, finds it hard to respond to traditional tutelage and is put under the care of a rebel, watching as the Spanish crown punishes dissenters. As he ages into young adulthood, he initially joins the military, but finds more success as a statesman, and travels to Spain to both further his education and seek the title afforded his name.
Arriving in Spain, two of his wayward uncles have managed to make waves in society and introduce Simón to a suitable tutor who is well-regarded by the crown. It is under his care that Simón meets María Teresa del Toro whom he intends to woo; unfortunately, an entitled Spaniard also wishes to pursue her, and tries to dirty Bolívar's name in the process. Through his charm and wit, Bolívar comes through his time in Spain a more well-regarded man and returns to Venezuela; he is without the title he was after, but with María Teresa as his bride.
María Teresa immediately takes to helping at the haciendas and humanizing the workers and slaves; she is also infinitely loyal to Simón, and purchases back his beloved house slave Matea. In the meantime, a new royal judge is appointed to Venezuela, who is friendly with María Teresa and subsequently to the Bolívar family. Simón's eldest sister, María Antonia, begins falling for him after asking for a loan, at the same time as María Teresa begins falling ill from an insect bite that she has not been exposed to in Spain. When she dies, Simón vows he will live in her spirit and never marry again. In Ecuador, a young Manuela Sáenz gets into trouble at her convent.
Simón trave..
