The Venezuelan revolutionary Simﾃ嬾 Bolﾃ計ar, also known as El Libertador, sought to lead Latin America to independence from the Spanish in the early nineteenth century. Ever since he has been held as a model for subsequent Latin American radicals; Hugo Chﾂｷvez, President of Venezuela, has dubbed his own programmes of social reform the Bolﾃ計arian Revolution . In his introduction to this collection of Bolﾃ計ar s writings, Chﾂｷvez explains why Bolﾃ計ar continues to inspire.