Palomo was

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...

's horse. It accompanied him on most of his campaigns of national liberation. The horse was white, tall, with a tail that almost reached the ground. It was a gift from an elderly

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

woman from Santa Rosa de Viterbo,

Boyacá Department Boyacá () is one of the thirty-two departments of Colombia, and the remnant of Boyacá State, one of the original nine states of the "United States of Colombia". Boyacá is centrally located within Colombia, almost entirely within the moun ...

, shortly before the

Battle of Boyacá The Battle of Boyacá (1819), was the decisive battle that ensured the success of Bolívar's campaign to liberate New Granada. The battle of Boyaca is considered the beginning of the independence of the north of South America, and is considered i ...

in 1819. According to local

lore Lore may refer to: * Folklore, acquired knowledge or traditional beliefs * Oral lore or oral tradition, orally conveyed cultural knowledge and traditions Places * Loré, former French commune * Loré (East Timor), a city and subdistrict in Lau ...

Bolívar visited Santa Rosa in early 1814 on his way to

Tunja Tunja () is a city on the Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes, in the region known as the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, 130 km northeast of Bogotá. In 2018 it had a population of 172,548 inhabitants. It is the capital of Boyacá department an ...

on his way to report to the Congress of the United Provinces of New Granada on his setbacks in

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

. As the Liberator approached the town on a tired beast of burden, which refused to move any further. There he asked for a guide to take the animal and to lead him into town. During the walk Bolívar and the guide had a conversation in which the guide told Bolívar about his wife Casilda's dreams, especially one in which she saw herself giving a recently born colt to a famous general as a gift. The guide did not know who Bolívar was and was astonished when he learned his identity. When Bolívar made his leave at the edge of town, he smiled and told the guide, "Tell Casilda to keep the colt for me." Five years later when Bolívar returned to New Granada, he received the colt promised by Casilda in the midst of the

Battle of Vargas Swamp Battle of Vargas Swamp ( es, Batalla del Pantano de Vargas) was a battle that occurred near Paipa, on July 25, 1819. A joint Venezuelan and Neogranadine army commanded by Simón Bolívar was trying to prevent Spanish forces from arriving at San ...

. He named it Palomo (" cock pigeon") for its gray color. Later on his way back to Venezuela, Bolívar stopped in Santa Rosa to visit Casilda personally and thank her for the horse. Bolívar lent Palomo to one of his officers, and it died exhausted after a grueling march in the

Hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

Mulaló, in what is today

Yumbo Yumbo is a small, industrial city and municipality in western Colombia. It is located in the Valle del Cauca Department, just north of Cali. In 2019, it had a population of approximately 130,000 inhabitants. History Modern Yumbo was founded in ...

, Valle del Cauca Department. It was buried next to the hacienda chapel by a lush, very old ceiba. Palomo's horseshoes and other effects of Bolívar are on exhibit in the Museum of Mulaló.

External links

*{{Citation , last = lmce , title = Palomo, el caballo de Bolívar , work = Procéres , date = 2009-07-01 , language = Spanish , url = http://lmce-proceres.blogspot.com/2009/01/palomo-el-caballo-de-bolivar.html , accessdate = May 5, 2009 Individual warhorses Simón Bolívar

See also

External links