For Glory and Bolívar

She was a friend, lover, and confidante of charismatic Spanish American independence hero SimÓn BolÍvar and, after her death, a nationalist icon in her own right. Yet authors generally have chosen either to romanticize Manuela SÁenz or to discount her altogether. For Glory and Bolivar: The Remarkable of Life of Manuela SÁenz, by contrast, offers a comprehensive and clear-eyed biography of her. Based on unprecedented archival research, it paints a vivid portrait of the Quito-born "Libertadora," revealing both an exceptional figure and a flesh-and-blood person whose life broadly reflected the experiences of women during Spanish America's turbulent Age of Revolution. Already married at the time of her meeting with the famous Liberator, SÁenz abandoned her husband in order to become not only BolÍvar's romantic companion, but also his official archivist, a member of his inner circle, and one of his most loyal followers. She played a central role in Spanish South America's independence