A Touch of History
The Story of Manuela Saenz
The Personification of Liberty
Liber -tadora, -tina, -tad
Around the 1450’s the first European navigators, including Cristobal Colon (Mark, 2020) and Americo Vespuccio came across the territory of the Americas. This was the first step of the domino fall that became the colonization of the Americas, firmly accompanied by imperialism and extractivism. Almost four centuries later the spark of independence gathered fuel and ignited the Independence movement that would last twenty years and free South America from Iberian control. The leader of this movement, known as the “Liberator of America” and continental hero was Venezuelan-born Simon Bolivar, a name that resonates in all Latin-American homes to this day as El Libertador (the Liberator). Yet there was a shadow to Bolivar that has only recently begun to step into the spotlight: Ecuadorian Manuelita Saenz. She crossed Bolivar’s path in 1822 (Murray, 2001) and became a vital part of his journey. Manuela has always been known for her romantic relationship with the adored Bolivar, yet history can agree there is much more to highlight from the life of this woman. History, as it did with so many others, has wronged Manuela, and it is time that history, not opinion, but history, sets it right. Manuela Saenz, besides having a very cool last name, country of origin, and role in the Independence, serves as a case study of the treatment and exclusion of women in History, through the importance of language, titles and dismissal, yet she also serves as an inspiration for the potential redemption of those wrongdoings
Manuelita
“Ita” is used for the diminutive of any word in Spanish, cosa (thing) becomes cosita (little thing), bolsa (bag) becomes bolsita (tiny bag). When speaking about her, Saenz has mostly been known as Manuelita, while it is true that this was her childhood nickname, there may be reason it stuck with her forever, but that is topic for later (see section Power of Language). Much work on Manuela begins and ends with her relationship to Bolivar, yet her upbringing sheds light onto the personality that can help us understand Manuela as a person and not a distant heroic figure. Manuelita was born to Simon Saenz Vergara, a Spanish nobleman, but she was an illegitimate child, with Ecuadorian Maria Joaquina Izpurrur (Minster, 2019). She was raised in a convent, La Concepción; many believe as a result of shame (Minster, 2019), yet convents were a common educational home for high-class young women in Latin America (Murray & Pike, 2008), nevertheless it is an indication of neglect. Manuela was rarely visited by her family and her rebelliousness might have rebelled from the necessity of attention from her father. Manuela was a bit of a nightmare for the nuns, never truly evil, but definitely mischievous; she did what she wished, she wanted freedom for herself. There is a story of common tongue that has been told to me by many Ecuadorians. It is said that Manuela was often criticized for acting too careless and “manly”. She was told by the nuns that she should act like a woman, and spend her time sowing. Instead of instantly rebelling she decided she would listen to them for once. She had already began following Bolivar’s, who was ten years older than her, independization journey and the of the “Liberator Army” against the Spanish realists, through news, word of mouth and rumors, fascinated. When told to sow, she decided to sketch a map, with a red stitch marking the path that Bolivar and his army were taking while liberating the continent. Whether the story is true or not, it remains a prime example of Manuela’s character and the free spirit she embodied.
In regards to the societal context around her, there were few ways a woman could gain status at the time: getting married or becoming a nun. Manuela heavily deviated from the religious path, and her father Simon married her to English merchant James Thorne. It is clear that this was motivated by interest other than her own, Murray & Pike (2008) state, “Through her arranged marriage, Manuela Saenz became an integral part of her paternal family’s social and business network.” (pg. 14). Saenz became Thorne’s partner more than his wife. Often shown as lacking love for him, she became involved in his entrepreneurial life. Thorne allowed her to supervise his affairs during absence, and legally act as his agent and proxy (ex. Collect debts, hire accountants, buy property) and do so autonomously, which allowed her also to legally pursue her maternal inheritance (Murray & Pike 2008). In other words, Manuela wasted no time at all. It is not difficult to note that this behavior was unusual for the time, yet her residence in Lima, let her live a life where women were more mobile, Limenas (women from Lima) had this impetuous stereotype. Rebellious, curious and entrepreneurial are words that define Manuela’s personality and while started in childhood, continued to be carved throughout her lifetime.
Bolivar’s True Love
Saenz met Bolivar when he was visiting her home city of Quito in 1822 after Ecuador’s Liberation, already a Hero, he had achieved independence in Caracas (Venezuela) and Bogota (Colombia)(Chambers, 2008). Saenz and Bolivar quickly became involved amorously and Bolivar began to take one of the largest challenges of the Patriot cause: Peru. Manuela started out working in providing information to the cause, using her class connections to learn more about the Royalists. (Adams, 2008). She was promoted to Colonel for her help and partook in the 950 mile trail of Cerro de Pasco with the rest of the army, and was part of the battle success, along with the following and highly successful Battle of Ayacucho, where Bolivar wasn’t present. (Adams, 2008) Their relationship was marked by distance, and while Manuela defended his image fiercely (Chambers, 2008) dressing up as a man and battling his dissidents while Bolivar remained the gallant hero that seduced in every place he stepped (Adams, 2008). Manuela’s abandonment of her husband and passionate love for Bolivar was seen as distasteful and worthy of shame, but Bolivar’s adulterous behavior was praised and sought after. She was seen as his mistress, never his partner or equal, which she acted as.
One of the most venerated actions however, has been the image of Manuela as a savior. Saenz was the key contributor to the survival of Bolivar during his planned assasination, where she warned informed and warned him against the people plotting the aggression, and actually cleverly diverted the killers, giving Bolivar enough time to escape (Murray 2001), and it is sad to see that after the fact, Bolivar attempted to inflate his role in the ordeal and disregard her (Adams, 2008). This feat earned Manuela the title of Libertadora del Libertador (Liberator of the Liberator).
The Evolution of Manuela
After the independence of South America, the republic of The Great Colombia was established, yet it quickly succumbed to political fragmentation. Bolivar’s death was the quick trigger that dominoed into Manuela’s downfall. Although she had always been a controversial figure, and even though he sometimes doubted her himself, Bolivar's love was a shielding wing from any harm or real damage. Although a hero of independence, Bolivar faced issues as a politician. Old independence colleagues started rebelling against his governance and ideology, and his animosity grew against previous ally, and now opposition leader, Santander (Murray, 2001) who led the campaign towards his political and ideological defeat against upcoming bureaucrats. After many years, he lost control and as the great empire dissolved into states he was forced to step down politically. He died of what today we would probably call tuberculosis in 1830, and his body was embalmed, with funeral processions led by his horses, solemn marches to the Requiem Mass, and burial in the Santa Marta, Colombia Cathedral. (Lynch, 2006) After his death, Manuela was fully exiled from “La Gran Colombia,” (The Great Colombia) which encompassed all the upper South American territory that the Independentist army, led by Bolivar and aided by Saenz, had liberated. She moved to the small town of Paita on the Peruvian coast and measly survived by selling tobacco and translating letters until the age of sixty (Carroll, 2010). This exile didn’t stop her, authors have noticed that her expulsion was because she was seen as a political threat, and that while in exile she continued to engage in political activities through correspondence (Chambers, 2008). She died in 1856, twenty-six years after her adored Bolivar when a diphtheria epidemic swept the area, her belongings were burnt (Minster, 2019) and her body was discarded in a communal grave along other victims (Carroll, 2010). Alongside her body, her honor remained buried for many years to come.
It is unfair to compare Manuela and Bolivar’s role, as it is true that he was a larger figure and the originating force of vast liberation of the continent. Nevertheless, Manuela served a crucial role as spy, soldier, general, defendant and savior, and the asssymetrical treatment: a common grave and shame vs. a Cathedral and unquestioned honor, simply due to gender discrimination, shows injustice by history that must be adressed.
The liberation of America was the most significant shift in Latin American history and therefore has been scrutinized and heavily studied. Ranging from academic writing and historical recollections all the way to artistic representation in film, theater, writing and painting.
In the century following their death, countless authors tried to encapsulate Bolivar and Saenz through words. It has been noted that narrative towards manuela has been polarized, between ‘erotic’ or ‘heroic’ myth, yet both subject to manipulation (Vilalta, 2012). It has been found that between 1860 - 1940 Ecuadorian historians only mentioned her in three books and very briefly (Mogollon & Narvaez, 1996). Besides her complete exclusion from history, Saenz has also seen unjust portrayals. It has also been noted that the critical portrayal of Manuela by Bolivar’s opponents while she was still alive, paved the way for 20th century historians who viewed her as mannish, along with “immoral, irresponsible and, above all, a political liability for Bolivar” (Murray, 2001). Nevertheless, there have also been portrayals of her as a heroine of exceptional courage (Murray, 2001). Besides these positive portrayals, the social attitudes in Latin America towards Manuela were generally distasteful, as will be discussed in the following section. It was just in 2010, that her symbolic remains were found and used to honor her throughout South American countries; a eulogy was given by the Ecuadorian President of the time, and these objects were taken to be buried next to the heroic Bolivar, so that the liberators could reunite once again after death (Carroll, 2010). Although she was consistently misrepresented, recent efforts and some historical ones shine light on the possibility of her honorary remediation.
The power of language
Many have noted an issue in Manuela’s portrayal as a romantic heroine, where she “continues to be less of a historical personage than an iconic, larger-than-life figure.” (Murray, 2007). Yet I deem it possible that through understanding her personality and aura as an individual, and not a contributor to a cause, or a compliment to Bolivar, this depiction can be fixed (and applied to other historical women). Another peculiarity with the historical handling of Manuela Saenz has been the usage of language. In her home country of Ecuador, Manuela was colloquially, and dismissively known as a Libertina, up until the generation of my parents, probably twenty years ago. The Oxford Languages dictionary defines this in Spanish as someone who speaks and acts with excessive or even abusive liberty and that gives in, unhindered to sexual pleasures. That is how Manuela was seen for a long-time: an illegitimate-born woman, who abandoned her husband, slept-around, was too loud, “crazy” (Adams, 2008) and meddled with what didn’t concern her. However, she was also given the title of Libertadora, which by the same dictionary is defined as a person who liberates others from imprisonment and compression, and more so, she was the liberator of the liberator himself. Both titles stem from the word liberty. Yet one was a criticism of her liberty as a woman, and the other a praise for her contribution to the liberation of a man. The term liberator for her was never used in the sense of a savior for Latin America like it was for Bolivar. The asymmetrical application of the same word with variation to gender mirrors the duality in Independence efforts and future portrayal. Manuela seems to be constantly at the intersection, between lover and hero, between entrepreneur and wife, and finally she is the intersection of Liberty, for both the good and the bad.
Bolivar himself sometimes abused language and demonstrated a similar polarity in his treatment of her. A prime example is a mail exchange with Colonel Cordoba that is shown in Adams’ (2008) work. After an uncalled joke about Colonel Santander, carried out by Manuela at a party, Cordoba wrote to Simon complaining. Simon supported Cordoba’s depiction of Manuela as “the crazy one” and spoke about sending her away soon– the tone was dismissive and disrespectful. Nevertheless, days later he wrote to Manuela and continually professed love and gratitude, without a slight bit of reprimand (Adams, 2008). Cordoba was unfriendly to both, so Bolivar’s response might have been merely strategic. Yet his recount of the events after his attempted murder show another instance of direspect.
Another brick on the wall
Manuela is simply a case study, a single book in an endless library of times when women have been excluded, wronged, or misrepresented by society. Mileva Maric is a prime example of this common phenomenon. Although she was a large contributor to many of Einstein’s papers, and she had outshined him during their education, their joint work was signed only under his name, and even after winning the Nobel Prize, he wrote in his will that all the money would be given to his son, despite Mileva’s immense contributions. (Gagnon, 2016) The list goes on, such as Henrietta Lacks and her HeLa cells contribution to major medical discoveries without any recognition or compensation. (Skloot, 2010). Although these women are examples of exclusion, renewed discussion and respect for them, as seen with efforts towards Manuela’s reclamation, demonstrate a renewed awareness that will prevent historical gender exclusion in the future.
Conclusion
Manuela was a warrior for national independence and personal freedom. Regardless of her contributions she was shamed by society, but still held herself high, as coronel and woman, to stand up to those who doubted her. The usage of language to describe her was unequal, and used to create a manipulated reality of who she truly was. Her mistreatment is a case study for the woman left ignored since the beginning of humanity, yet her historical reclamation also serves as a glimpse of hope for other admirable figures like her. Language twisted and caged her, yet language has also set her free. Known as libertina and libertadora, Manuela now begins to be liberated.
References
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