Now, continuing with my visit to Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela, about a week ago, I couldn't miss talking about the San Isidro House Museum, or Simón Bolívar's House, as many people refer to it. This house once belonged to Simón Bolívar as a temporary residence when he used to come to this city. It is said that this was the place where he delivered the speech at the famous Congress of Angostura, a historical landmark well known for Venezuela's independence and even as part of the inspiration for the independence of the entire American continent, from north to south.
This house, as its name suggests, currently functions as a museum, although a few months ago it was closed for various reasons. I remember visiting it when I was just a child, perhaps more than 25 years ago. As an adult, I always wanted to visit this house. I used to pass by it but never saw it open. That very day, when I went to this city, I was passing by this house and saw its doors were open. Of course, I couldn't help but take advantage of this tour to capture memories of this place, which has both historical and architectural significance.
This house dates back to the 18th century, and its structure can be considered to have remained original, albeit with some modifications to keep it standing. Overall, we can imagine this structure dating back more than 200 years, which could also be considered the same trees that are still standing in this area. As you can see, this house has a large expanse of forest with varied vegetation, as well as the structure of gardens, patios, and even a plaza built later in honor of Simón Bolívar.
On the other hand, this house still houses period furniture, as well as paintings and works of art that may have belonged to Simón Bolívar. Although a preserved mule fetus from Simón Bolívar's time is no longer present, I remember seeing it when I was a child, but it is no longer in this house, according to a guide from this house. By the way, if you want to visit this house, you can opt for a free guide, who will give you a tour of the entire house and even tell you the history of the house.
However, on this tour, we did not enter Simón Bolívar's room itself, nor did we enter some areas of the house that are currently off-limits, perhaps for reasons related to maintenance or other reasons. However, you can appreciate a bit of that history that dates back several centuries, as well as contemplate the typical colonial architecture of this building, which is undoubtedly a large country house with large tracts of land surrounding it. This house is located near the El Zamuro fort, which I mentioned earlier, and is also close to the city's historic center, which is easily accessible on foot.
All photographs are my own.
