Manuela Saenz: Beyond Bolivar's Shadow

Manuela Sáenz is often remembered as Simón Bolívar’s passionate lover and as the woman who saved his life during an assassination attempt. However, there is far more to her story. A committed supporter of South American independence, Manuela became a politically influential figure in Bolívar’s inner circle, challenging the expectations placed on women in the revolutionary world of the nineteenth century. This episode explores her courage, political involvement, unconventional life, and the complicated legacy of a woman whose story deserves to be told.