spanishSenora Cressman
Spanish 4/Mod
January 13 2011
Famous People and Festivals

The country of Bolivia is named after Simon Bolivar. Though he was not born in Bolivia, but born in Venezuela, he was Bolivia's main political leader. He was one of Bolivia's founding-fathers and served as Bolivia's president from August 12, 1825. December 29, 1825. He also played an important role in helping other South American countries gain independence from Spain and served as president in other countries of South America.
His parents were Colonel Juan Vicente Bolívar y Ponte, and Concepción Palacios Blanco. He had two older sisters and a brother: María Antonia, Juana and Juan Vicente. There was another girl, María del Carmen, who died at birth. Before he was three years old, Simón lost his father, who passed away in January of 1786. He played an important role in the liberation of a large part of South America from Spanish rule in the 19th century. On his visit to Europe, Bolivar got the opportunity to witness the coronation of Napoleon. This incident sparked the idea of revolution in his mind, so on returning home, he joined the Venezuelan revolution. He was barely in his 20s then. His victory spree came to an abrupt halt, when his forces were defeated by the Royalist army in 1815, and he was exiled to Jamaica. Eventually, a victory in Peru in 1824, led to the end of Spanish rule in the continent, making Bolivar a powerful force in Latin America. Bolivar died due to tuberculosis, a few months after he resigned as the president of Greater Columbia. http://www.travel-bolivia.com/famous-people-from-bolivia.html Nikita Murarka
Ms. Cressman
Spanish 3, Mod: 2
January 17, 2011

Winter Solstice festival

The midwinter solstice, on june 21, is one of the most important dates for the indigenous people of the Andes. It also marks the New Year in the Aymara calendar