All over Latin America, and especially in the Venezuela of Hugo Chavez, Latin Americäs liberator, Simón Bolívar, is a political idol and symbol of that continent s new political self-confidence. The legends about him remain alive and have been the basis for many political speeches, plays, and fictional works. Michael Zeuske, one of the world s leading experts on Bolívar, examines the dimensions of the Bolívar cult and myths and compares these with the real historical person, and the world in which he lived. Zeuske s account corrects major inaccuracies in the historical texts, such as the legendary meeting between Alexander von Humboldt and Bolívar, which never actually took place.
