Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín never met on a battlefield, but their complementary campaigns shattered Spanish rule in South America.
From Venezuela, he liberated New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia (named for him). His 1819 Andes crossing and victory at Boyacá were masterstrokes. He dreamed of a united Gran Colombia but saw it fracture.
From Argentina, he crossed the Andes (1817) to free Chile (Maipú, 1818), then sailed to Peru, declaring independence in Lima (1821). He handed command to Bolívar after their historic 1822 Guayaquil meeting and retired to Europe.
Both were Enlightenment-inspired republicans who built armies from disparate patriots, used audacious mountain warfare, and sought continental unity. Their mutual respect and strategic non-overlap allowed the liberation of the entire continent in under two decades.