Matea Bolívar

slave of Simón Bolívar

Matea Bolívar (1773-1886) was a slave owned by the family of Simón Bolívar. She was born to parents who were also the Bolívars' slaves. When she was 9, their owners forced her to leave her parents and start working on their plantation in San Mateo.[1] Soon after Simón Bolívar was born, it became her job to raise and teach him.[1] Today, she is considered a national heroine in Venezuela.[2] However, she is usually celebrated as a mammy figure.[3]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 Rivera, Enrique Salvador (2016). "Bolívar, Matea". Oxford African American Studies Center. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195301731.013.50900. ISBN 978-0-19-530173-1. Archived from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  2. "Pdte. Maduro rinde homenaje a la heroína Matea Bolívar" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  3. Ochoa, Marcia (2014-05-19). Queen for a Day: Transformistas, Beauty Queens, and the Performance of Femininity in Venezuela. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-7699-6. Archived from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2022-02-23.