Things to see and do San Mateo

During the visit of the Bolívar family, the guide outlines a history of the Libertador family. Simón de Bolívar Ibarque (1532-1612) was born in Bolívar (the Basque word designating the mill of the mill) in the province of Vizcaya. He came to the service of the King in 1557 in Santo Domingo, where he married Doña Ana Hernández de Castro. In 1559, his son Simón said El Pozo. In 1589, Philippe II appointed him as Attorney General in Venezuela, where he was assigned close to 65 000 m ² of land. His first house was more south of the property. So we owe the current hacienda to Simón El Pozo; originally it had a straw roof.

In 1702, Lieutenant-General Don Juan de Bolívar y Villegas built the first refinery on its land, which - in the passage - reduces the manual work of the Indians. In 1750, the mill works through the water of Aragua and the Bolívar family employs more than 120 people.

In 1786, on the death of Colonel Don Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte, Libertador's father, copper mines, the hacienda and houses in Caracas returned to his older brother. Upon his death at sea, off the coast of Bermuda, Simón will administer the hacienda and other family property. Some historians say that the Libertador was born in the family hacienda. His birth extract indicates that he was born in Caracas, but no one knows whether it was the city or state of Caracas which was then part of San Matéo.

Simón spends much of his youth in this cocoa and cane hacienda, with his tutor. He then goes to Caracas. He will return only to his wedding in August 1802 with Maria Teresa Rodriguez of Toro.

The love story will not last long, since his fresh wife dies 8 months later from yellow fever.

Property is confiscated during the war (as of 1814). Finally, in 1827, Bolívar ordered rehabilitation of the roof burned during the explosion… (see «Museum of Military History»). It will shortly be bought by the Gumersindo family and then by Gómez in 1924, which will make it a museum.

That said, if the story is interesting, the visit should not give you an indelible memory. Two museums are now in the hacienda:

Overlooking the hacienda, the strategically located house allows to monitor the Maracay valley.

It was here that the Spanish established their headquarters in the war of Independence. On March 18, 1814, Captain Antonio Ricaute (statufié at the entrance, under Gómez, in 1911) will enter the powder reserve to detonate her. The officer will perish - and a thousand royalist soldiers - and will go to posterity for his act of bravery.

In the reconstituted house, the small museum of military history exhibits original pieces (time weapons, uniforms, letters, furniture). The gunners will note the presence of cannons, recovered from a boat in Puerto Cabello.