Heroes, dictators, and the long fight for sovereignty in Latin America before Maduro

From wars of independence to US-backed strongmen, how resistance and accommodation shaped the region’s political memory

Latin America’s most celebrated heroes came from vastly different political traditions. What bound them together was not ideology, but a shared insistence on defending the interests of their people – and, above all, national sovereignty. In the 19th century, that struggle was directed against European colonial powers, primarily Spain.