TOURING THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE LIBERATOR SIMÓN BOLÍVAR

Hello and welcome to this new publication that I made for the Architecture + Design community, today I want to tell you about my experience visiting the birthplace of Simon Bolivar; the main reason is that my father for working in the public sector of the state was summoned to go to his work to pick up his end of year gift in the company, because as you understand there are only a few days left to finish the year 2022.

So when I heard the news I got out of bed and told my father that I was going to go with him, without object to reply, because for a long time I have wanted to go to downtown Caracas to visit the House of the Liberator Simon Bolivar and just recently celebrated his death that dates back to be him (December 17) for which they had decorated very beautifully his birthplace and made reports in honor of the historic fighter of Independence.

Although in high school and part of the university they usually study the history of Simon Bolivar, his battles and the places where he lived, died and married, the history on paper does not compare with reality, because even though it is seen in a photo, being in front of this structure is a different feeling and you can touch the facade because it is not at any risk.

A detail that I love about the structures of the Spanish colonial era and that this house has is that right on the wooden door of the main entrance, in the frame, the Coat of Arms of the Bolivar family is shown at the top; which shows in a way its great value and importance in the Venezuelan society.

Another observation that I must make is to understand the real elements that characterize the colonial houses, that is, first of all you can understand that each door is a room and these are followed without any interruption, placed next to each other; the windows are large and these have iron bars which I think was used as a security measure for its inhabitants and more if they had enemies such as large-scale battles to fight.

Nowadays it is normal and very common that both apartments and houses of 1 and even 2 levels have their own iron window bars, as they are a security measure to prevent the smallest of the house or pets from flying out or escaping from home; for this reason I dare to say that currently still retains the ideal of placing iron bars in Venezuelan homes for security issues as well as a way to add an extra decorative detail to the houses.

The next point is the unevenness used as a way to demonstrate that there is another style of room or in this particular case there is an unevenness throughout what is known as the main courtyard, which refers to the fact that this place is different and apart from the rooms as an existing gallery.

The ceiling is undoubtedly totally unique in its shape and structure, because even though a material such as wood was used, it is presented with many details in such extraordinary detail that you can even see carved figures, which is something fantastic to see, which demonstrates the great capabilities it had for the time.

ROOMS

As for the rooms available to be observed, there are only a few, but even so, its internal design is partly luxurious and elegant, demonstrating in a way the importance and great historical, patriotic, social and political value it has.

First of all, the detail that made me fall in love with this house are the patterns painted on the wall that are shown as lines that go in most of the rooms.

The second aspect that I must highlight and that I commented with my boyfriend are the large number of portraits of family members as important people in history, which also show giant paintings with frames that come to occupy half a wall which is something extravagant and made me think about all the work that must have been done to carry out these works, since before there was no projection technology or way to print the lines where the correct painting should be placed; there could only be the great talent of the person to make each canvas a work that showed an event of great importance as the faces of the people who were fundamental to reach the expected goal.

The same thought crossed my mind when I saw how there are rooms where the walls are painted in such a way that they tell a story showing a relevant event in the history of Venezuela; even more my positive appreciation is intensified when I see the details of the structures above some doors and windows close to the bedroom of Simón Bolívar.

FURNITURE

In addition to the walls, paintings, ceilings and paintings, there are inside the house a certain amount of furniture that were rescued and renovated for exhibition; I must say that all of them are unique in their own way and that each one has a detail in its carving that makes it extraordinary.

From my point of view I felt somewhat honored to be able to appreciate the quality and talent that existed at that time, as well as the different plans for its restoration that made possible that today you can admire part of the furniture that existed inside the Casa Natal del Libertador; among those shown I must say that my favorite is the chair and the large pedestal that seems to be made of marble and that has an amazing iron work on the top that show a dog and a young lady.

• Application used for photo editing: PowerPoint // Canva
• Translator used: Link