Equestrian of Simón Bolívar - Washington, D.C.
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 53.586 W 077° 02.522
18S E 322903 N 4306895
Equestrian statue of Simón Bolívar, the liberator of South America, in small plaza in Washington, D.C. was a gift from Venezuela to the United States.
Waymark Code: WMJJ9V
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 11/23/2013
Views: 4
Bronze statue of General Simon Bolivar riding his horse. He is holding a sword in in right hand with his arm raised over his head. He is dressed in his military uniform complete with a gold medal, once belonging to George Washington, presented to Bolivar by Lafayette. The statue stands on a stone base and is located in a small plaza.
The base of the sculpture is inscribed:
The front of the base is inscribed with:
SIMON BOLIVAR
THE LIBERATOR
BORN JULY 24 1783
CARACAS VENEZUELA
DIED DECEMBER 17 1830
SANTA MARTA COLOMBIA
The east side of the base is inscribed with:
THE REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The west side of the base is inscribed with:
LIBERATED VENEZUELA COLOMBIA ECUADOR PERU BOLIVIA AND PANAMA
The placement of the statue was authorized by an act of Congress on July 5, 1949. On June 29, 1955 Congress permitted the sculpture to be installed on public land. The sculpture was donated by the Venezuelan government and the installation of the sculpture was paid for by Venezuela.
From Wikipedia:
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Blanco (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830), commonly known as Simón Bolívar, was a military and political leader. Bolívar played a key role in Latin America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire, and is today considered one of the most influential politicians in the history of the Americas.
Following the triumph over the Spanish monarchy, Bolívar participated in the foundation of the first union of independent nations in Hispanic-America, a republic, now known as Gran Colombia, of which he was president from 1819 to 1830. Via his Decree of War to the Death, Bolívar allowed the widespread use of atrocities in retaliation for the historic atrocities of the Spanish army. Despite his brutal tactics, Bolívar is regarded as a hero, visionary, revolutionary, and liberator in Hispanic-America.
During his lifetime, he led Venezuela, Colombia (including Panama at the time), Ecuador, Peru (together with Don José de San Martín), and Bolivia to independence from the Spanish Empire. Admirers claim that he helped lay the foundations for democracy in much of Latin America.