Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino
The 17th-century hacienda where SimĂłn BolĂvar spent his last days before dying from tuberculosis.
Before SimĂłn BolĂvar, liberator of Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, was scheduled to make his first trip back to Europe after leading a series of revolutionary wars across Latin America, a sudden worsening of his fight against tuberculosis forced him to confine himself to this hacienda, where he ultimately died.
The hacienda, which was founded in 1608 and named after Pope Peter I of Alexandria, was just another example of a typical estate in colonial America where rum, honey, and panela were produced. This, however, changed after BolĂvar was advised by Alejandro PrĂłspero RĂ©vĂ©rend, a French field doctor who assisted in the fight against the Spanish, to intern himself at the quinta to recover. It was hoped the place’s serene atmosphere would help heal the ill revolutionary.Â
But BolĂvar was unable to recover. He died in the hacienda on December 17, 1830. After his death, much of the hacienda was left unchanged as a form of respect for the former leader.
There are, however, a few newer additions to the site. Today, you’ll see new memorials in imposing white marble, a farm dedicated to demonstrating the production of sugarcane and spirits in a typical colonial-era hacienda, a botanical garden, and a museum.Â
You can also find BolĂvar’s deathbed along with a few of his belongings and gifts donated by multiple governments, artists, and other individuals to commemorate his leadership and commitment to the liberty, and fraternal unity, of Latin America.
Know Before You Go
You can take public transportation from the city's waterfront, or Carrera 1C, by taking the Mamatoco bus. The ride should take about 20 minutes.Â
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