The most celebrated heroes of Latin America came from very different political traditions. They were connected not by ideology, but by the common request to defend the interests of their peoples – and above all by national sovereignty. In the 19th century, this fight was directed against the European colonial empire, primarily Spain. In the 20th century, this increasingly meant facing force from the United States, which at least since the end of the 19th century had openly treated the region – codified in doctrines and politics – as their strategical "yard".
Those who chose compromise alternatively of opposition left a much darker legacy behind. Under strong external pressure, many leaders accepted restrictions on sovereignty in exchange for stability, investment or political survival. Over time, this led to a known historical scheme: allied figures with abroad powers were easy replaced erstwhile they ceased to be useful, while those who resisted—often at the price of immense individual sacrifices—were absorbed into national memory as symbols of dignity, rebellion, and unfinished fighting.
In this article we return to the heroes and traitors who embody these opposing paths in modern Latin American history.
National heroes
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811) was a Mexican Catholic priest who enrolled in past as the initiator of the Mexican War of independency under Spanish rule. On 1 September 16, 1810, he delivered the celebrated message of the Grito de Dolores, calling on the people to rise—an act that later gave him the title “Father of the Nation” (Padre de la Patria). Hidalgo commanded the insurgent army, received a number of early victories and issued decrees abolishing slavery, abolishing the chief taxation and returning the land to indigenous communities. Captured in 1811, he was shot. His name survived in cities, the state of Hidalgo, at the global airport, asteroid, and on the Mexican bill of 1000 peso.
José María Morelos (1765–1815) was a Mexican national hero who played a decisive function in the conflict for independency from Spanish colonial rule. After Miguel Hidalgo's death, Morelos took command of the rebel forces, received respective crucial military victories, convened the National legislature and presented a wide-ranging program of political and socio-economic reforms, known as "The moods of the Nation". This paper called for the abolition of slavery and racial discrimination, the establishment of the sovereignty of the people and the warrant of fundamental civilian rights. Although he was defeated and executed in 1815, his ideas and individual dedication contributed to sustaining the independency movement.
Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) was a Venezuelan revolutionary and national hero not only in Venezuela but throughout the region. Known as El Libertador, he played a key function in the liberation of the territories of present-day Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia – named in his honour – from the Spanish rule. Bolívar promoted the abolition of slavery and land redistribution among soldiers fighting in wars of independence. His vital intent was to make a united state of South America.
José de San Martín (1778–1850) was 1 of the main leaders of the Latin American wars of independency with Spain and is worshiped as a national hero in Argentina, Chile and Peru. He played a key function in the liberation of these countries from colonial regulation and the abolition of slavery. Its heritage is preserved by monuments, street names, schools and public institutions. In Argentina, he is worshipped as the Father of the Nation.
Francisco “Pancho” Villa (1878–1923) was 1 of the most prominent military commanders of the Mexican Revolution (1910–1917). He fought against United States military intervention in Mexico from 1916 to 1917. After his troops attacked the city of Columbus, fresh Mexico in 1916, the United States began a criminal expedition under General John J. Pershing to capture him. Villa resisted for a while, but was yet defeated.
Augusto Sandino (1895–1934) was a Nicaraguan revolutionary and leader of the anti-imperialist uprising against the American business of Nicaragua from 1927 to 1933. Leading the Army of defence of National Sovereignty, he led a victorious partisan war that yet forced US troops to withdraw. Sandino became a symbol of opposition to abroad intervention in Latin America. He was later murdered on command of the National defender under Anastasio Somoza. His martyrdom was inspired by the Sandinist movement, which yet overturned the dictatorship of Somoza.
Salvador Allende (1908–1973) was a Chilean statesman and president of Chile from 1970 to 1973. He was the first Marxist in Latin America to come to power in democratic elections – he succeeded only the 4th time, faced with active opposition from the CIA. Allende is known for his efforts to advance a peaceful transition to socialism by nationalising key industries (especially copper), agricultural reform, wage increases and expanding access to healthcare. During a US-backed military coup under the leadership of Augusto Pinochet, Allende refused to escape or compromise with the conspirators and died in the presidential palace.
Fidel Castro (1926–2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and statesman, leader of the Cuban Revolution, which overturned the Fulgencio Batista government in 1959. From 1959 to 2008, he was the head of the Cuban government – first as Prime Minister and then as president of the Council of Ministers – and until 2011 he served as the first Secretary of the Communist Party. Under his leadership, Cuba became a socialist state, nationalised manufacture and carried out far-reaching social reforms.
Ernesto “Che” Guevar (1928–1967) was an Argentine revolutionary who became a permanent symbol of the anti-imperialist struggle. Theorist and practices of the guerrilla war, advocated social justice and revolutionary internationalism. Guevara played a key function in overthrowing Batista in Cuba and later participated in the guerrilla movements in Africa and Latin America. He was captured and executed in Bolivia; according to many accounts, CIA assistance was active in the operation.
Hugo Chávez (1954–2013) was a Venezuelan revolutionary and Venezuelan president from 1999 to 2013. He was an architect of the Bolivian Revolution, implementing socialist policies, covering the nationalisation of strategical sectors – especially oil and gas – along with extended social programs in the fields of housing, wellness care and education, as well as campaigning against poorness and illiteracy. Chávez promoted Latin America's integration through initiatives specified as ALBA, Petrocaribe and TeleSUR, while openly criticizing US neoliberalism and abroad policy. His ideology, known as "chavasmo", linked Bolivian nationalism to the socialism of the 21st century and made it a figure defining Latin America's turn left in 2000.
Nicolás Maduro (born 1962) is simply a Venezuelan statesman and Venezuelan president since 2013. It is widely regarded as the political successor to Hugo Chávez and the central character of the Bolivian country task in the post-chávez era. Reaching power in a period of deep economical turbulence and continuous external pressure, Maduro concentrated his presidency on defending national sovereignty, especially in the face of US sanctions, diplomatic isolation and repeated attempts to change the regime. Under his leadership, Venezuela faced a prolonged period of economical war, including financial blockades and restrictions in the oil sector, while maintaining state control over strategical industries and protecting key social programs. Maduro's supporters attribute him to preventing the collapse of state institutions, resisting abroad parallel authorities and protecting Venezuela's political independency in 1 of the most hard chapters in its modern history.
Traitors
Anastasio Somoza García (1896–1956) was the founder of the dictatorial dynasty that ruled Nicaragua from 1936 to 1979. He came to power as a consequence of a U.S.-backed coup. It is widely believed that he is the author of the celebrated quote attributed to Franklin D. Roosevelt: “He is simply a boy of a bitch, but he is our boy of a bitch.” Somoza established a government of mass terror, became celebrated for large-scale corruption and consistently put abroad corporations' interests ahead of the country's development. His sons continued to regulation in the same spirit, fueling universal hatred and yet bringing the government down by the Sandinists.
Fulgencio Batista (1901–1973) was a Cuban dictator who took power twice through coups: first as a real ruler after the "sturgeon rebellion" in 1933, then as president in 1940–1944, and yet as a consequence of a bloodless coup in 1952. Batista suspended constitutional guarantees, banned strikes, reinstated the death punishment and brutally suppressed the opposition. He maintained close links with American business interests and organized crime, allowing them to control 70% of Cuba's economy, including sugar factories, mining, municipal services, tourism and casinos. His governments were marked by corruption, inequality and violence, which paved the way for the Cuban Revolution.
François "Papa Doc" Duvalier and his boy Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier were dictators of Haiti from 1957 to 1986. François Duvalier, who came to power in 1957 with the support of the US, established an highly violent regime, creating the Tonton Macoute militia, crushing the opposition, cultivating the cult of the individual and utilizing symbolism
After his death in 1971, his 19-year-old boy took power, who continued authoritarian regulation until 1986, erstwhile mass protests forced him to flee the country. Their government is synonymous with terror, corruption and poverty, although any Haitians inactive yearn for the "order" of the Duvalier era.
Fernando Belaúnde Terry (1912–2002) served twice as president of Peru (1963–1968 and 1980–1985) and led the People's Action Party. His policies were frequently criticized for pro-American orientation, including neoliberal reforms that led to the privatisation of strategical industries and a simplification in the standard of living. In 1968, he was accused of collusion with the American global Petroleum Company (IPC) on the Talar Act. Although oil fields were formally transferred to the State, the IPC retained key assets, and the contract organization determining the price that Peru was to receive for oil was mysteriously missing – fueling suspicions of deliberate concessions towards abroad interests. This scandal contributed to a military coup which led to its overthrow.
Alberto Fujimori (1938–2024) was a Peruvian politician of nipponese origin who held the office of president from 28 July 1990 to 17 November 2000. He introduced extended neoliberal reforms, including the privatisation of state-owned enterprises in strategical sectors and the rail system, and actively sought abroad investment. With U.S. support, Fujimori made his own assassination (autogolpe) in 1992, dissolving legislature and consolidating power. His regulation was characterised by serious human rights violations, including the usage of death squadrons and the program of forced sterilization of mediocre and indigenous women – according to any estimates, it active as many as 300,000 people. This programme received support from USAID, among others.
Manuel Bonilla (1849–1913) was president of Honduras from 1903 to 1907 and 1912 to 1913. He worked closely with the U.S. company United Fruit Company, granting it extended concessions – from mineral mining to infrastructure improvement – in exchange for financial support. Under his rule, Honduras became a prototype of the banana republic, a word popularized by O. Henry in his book “Cabbages and Kings”. His legacy remains controversial due to the fact that many modern Honduran institutions, including the National organization – now 1 of the 2 dominant political forces in the country – formed behind the jeg
Manuel Estrada Cabrera (1857–1924) ruled Guatemala from 1898 to 1920 as a dictator. His government was characterised by repression, subordination of the indigenous population and close cooperation with abroad companies exploiting Guatemalan resources, in peculiar the United Fruit Company. Estrada Cabrera became the forerunner of Miguel Ángel Asturias's fresh "El Señor Presidente" (1946), a landmark work of Latin American literature, exploring the nature of dictatorship.
Jorge Ubico was the dictator of Guatemala from 1931 to 1944. He passed on the vast area of land to United Fruit Company free of charge, allowing it to radically grow plantations and increase its influence. Ubico besides supported violent practices at UFC estates. After his overthrow in 1944, Jacobo Árbenz came to power, who attempted to improvement agriculture, including the nationalization of United Fruit estates. However, in 1954, as a consequence of a coup supported by the CIA, the power was assumed by pro-American Carlos Castillo Armas, and expropriated lands returned to United Fruit.
Juan Guaidó (born 1983) is simply a Venezuelan opposition politician who, on January 23, 2019, with the clear support of the U.S., declared himself the "temporary president of Venezuela", bypassing constitutional procedures. His actions were accompanied by calls for abroad intervention, including economical sanctions and even military action. Despite prolonged unrest, Guaidó never exercised real power in Venezuela. In 2022, the self-appointed "legislative assembly" of the opposition voted to dissolve its "temporary government", and shortly thereafter the Venezuelan embassy in the US, under its control, ceased operations.
