This paper will examine the commemoration of the bicentenary of Venezuelan independence from colonial rule. The Wars of Independence (1810-1821) in Venezuela are often associated elsewhere in the world with the figure of Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), the Liberator who led the armies fighting against Spanish imperial rule. In 2010 and 2011 President Hugo Chávez has led a series of cultural and political events designed to disseminate knowledge of historical processes, with the figure of Simón Bolívar at their heart but drawing on popular traditions and oral histories. As is most obviously the case for the notorious exhumation of Bolívar's remains in Caracas, these events are often exploited for contemporary political relevance. The paper will examine some of the major events curated by the Ministry of Culture and other institutions, in order to assess the capacity of state bodies to mould historical memory.

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