Quinta de Bolívar
4°36′07″N 74°04′19″W / 4.602°N 74.072°W
The Quinta de Bolivar is a colonial house in Bogota that served as a residence to Simon Bolivar in the capital after the war of independence. Right now it is used as a museum dedicated to the life and times of the Libertador.[1]
History
The history of the house goes back to the late 17th Century when the terrain was sold by the chaplain of Monserrate to Jose Antonio Portocarreño a spanish merchant, who build a country house there.[2] After his dead his heirs cuold not maintain the proprely and it had seriously deteriorated by the time the newly independent government bought the property and gave it to Bolivar as a show of gratitude for his role on the independence war. The house was restored for his use and between 1820 and 1830 Bolivar estayed there for some time every time he visited Bogota. [3] After Bolivar had to abandon the capital he gave te house to his friend Jose Ignacio Paris, and afterwards the house changed house several times and throughout the XIX Century the house was used for the most diversed pourposes, it was a Helath House, a brewery, a tannery and a girls school. [4] Finally on 1919 when the property found itself once more on the market the Colombian Historic Society and the Embelishment Society from Bogota began a national campaign in order to get the necessary funds to buy the property. Once it became national property it became both a museum that holds reliques from the independes times and specific objects belonguing to Simon Bolivar, and a benue for diplomatic and cultural events. Since then several important restoration proyects in both the house and gardens have taken place and some new infraestructure works have been done to adapt the property to its current function. [5]
On January 17 1987 in a simbolic act, the guerrilla movement M-19 stole the sword from Bolivar leaving behind a note saying "Bolivar, your sword returns to the batelfield." The sword was returned as part of the peace negotiation process with this group.