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theEuropeancontinent,therewerestrongeffortstorestoretheoldorder.Oneofthe
elementsofthisrestorationwastoreturntheolddynastiesoverthrownbyNapoleonto
power.ForSpainthismeantthereturnoftheBurbonsandFerdinandVII.Additionally,
theendofthewarsinEuropepermittedSpaintosendmoresoldierstotheNewWorldto
fightwithinsurrectionists.Thistookplaceatthebeginningof1815.PabloMorillowas
thecommanderofthosenewSpanishforcesinNewGrenada.ThenewSpanisharmy
achievedimportantvictories.ItisnocoincidencethatMurillo’ssuccessfulcampaign
wasnamedreconquist.Itwasthemostdifficultmomentofthewarforindependence
inVenezuelaandinotherregionsoftheviceroyaltyofNewGranada.Murillo’sforces
enteredCartagenaandBogotainColombiaandCaracasinVenezuela.SimónBolivar
hadtoescapeonemoretime.ThistimehewenttotheCaribbeanislandofJamaica.His
stayinJamaicabroughtanimportantdevelopmentofhisideasandexplanationsofhis
perceptionofLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanregion.
HisideasandvisionswereexemplifiedinhislettertoHenryCullenthathewrote
inSeptember6,1815inKingston,Jamaica.HedescribesthesituationoftheLatin
Americancountriesthatwerestrugglingfortheirindependence.Heunderlinesthatthe
fightwhichbeganin1810isanirreversibleprocessthatcanhaveonlyoneresult:victory
andsovereigntyfromSpanishdomination.Bolivar’sexplicationofthedifferences
betweenLatinAmericannationsandEuropeansisveryinterestinginhisletter.Inits
explication,hepointedoutthepre-ColombiancivilizationsthathadlivedinAmerica
longbeforeChristopherColumbus’journey.However,hedoesnotdenySpain’shuge
contributiontotheprocessofcreatingacompletelynewracethatisdominantinLatin
America.ThisnewracehasitsrootsintheancientcivilizationsoftheAmericasbutalso
hasitsEuropeancomponentthankstotheSpanishconquest.“WeareneitherIndians
norEuropeans,weareaspecialmixbetweenthelegitimateownersofthislandandthe
usurperSpaniards,”wroteSimónBolivarinhisletter.Bolivar’sLetterfromJamaicaalso
includesanexplicationoftheinjusticethatthecoloniesinLatinAmericahadtoendure
fromtheSpanishmonarchy.Finally,BolivarspinnedvisionsaboutthefutureofLatin
Americaaftersuccessfulwarforindependence.Hisrecipeforthesovereignexistenceof
LatinAmericancountrieswascloseunity.TheLatinAmericancountriesshouldbebased
oncompletelydifferentfoundationsthanEurope.Thatiswhyheproposedarepublican
formofgovernment.Heperceivedmonarchyasoneofthereasonsforthenumerousof
warsandarmedconflictsbetweenEuropeancountries.Buttosecureitsindependence
andliberty,newLatinAmericanrepublicswouldhavetocooperateclosely.Thereforehe
suggestedthecreationofastrongunionthatwouldunitealltheformerSpanishcolonies.
HedesiredthecreationofstrongLatinAmericannationthatwouldbederivedprincipally
fromitslibertyandglory.
Thequestionofwhotheletterwasdedicatedtooftenappears.Thisisadeepinsight
intothesituationofLatinAmericainthemiddleoftheseconddecadeofthe19thcentury.
ItwaswritteninSpanish,inarathersophisticatedstyle.Itneedstoberememberedthat
amajorityofthepopulationwasnoteducated.MostoftheIndiansdidnotspeakSpanish.
Soldiersintheinsurgentarmieswereusuallyuneducated,commonpeople.Itseemsthat
Bolivarobjectivewastoreachtwokindsofsubjects.ThefirstweretheCreoleelitesof
Spanishcolonies.Theyweretherootoftheindependencemovements;however,there
werealsoalotofconservativeandloyalistattitudesamongthisgroup.TheCreoles,in