E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Juan Barreto / AFP - Getty Images FILE
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez sits under a portrait of his hero Simon Bolivar during a press conference in Caracas in Sept. 2002.
CARACAS, Venezuela — Hugo Chavez did something a bit strange last summer.
He secretly sent a team of forensic scientists to open the coffin of independence hero Simon Bolivar and exhume his remains.
The Venezuelan president wanted to investigate exactly how Bolivar, who was instrumental in driving the Spanish out of Latin America, died almost two centuries ago.
While most historians say tuberculosis killed Bolivar when he was 47, Chavez had another theory. He suspected that Bolivar was poisoned.
Tens of thousands of grieving Venezuelans lined up for miles in the streets of Caracas to pay their respects to the open coffin of Hugo Chavez. Â ITV's Matt Frei reports.Â
At the time, Chavez was campaigning to win another term as president of Venezuela.
Just weeks earlier, the Venezuelan president had declared himself "free, free, totally free," of the cancer that killed him on Tuesday. It was the second time Chavez would claim he was cured.
Throughout his 14-year rule, Chavez often evoked Bolivar's image, claiming his socialist state was just the next stage in Bolivar's campaign to liberate the continent from outside domination.
Chavez made a big show of the investigation on national TV, even showing footage of Bolivar's skeleton while playing the national anthem. "Viva Bolivar," said Chavez. "The great Bolivar has returned!"
Chavez then decided to build a $150 million grandiose monument at the National Pantheon in Caracas to house Bolivar's remains. At the time, Chavez said the aim was to "glorify Bolivar."
Perhaps he had his own final resting place in mind as well.
Leo Ramirez / AFP - Getty Images
Supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez across the Americas mourn his death.
Under Venezuelan law, only national heroes are bestowed the honor of repose at the National Pantheon, and any candidate must have died at least 25 years earlier.
Already, a national campaign has begun in Venezuela to lay Chavez's remains alongside his beloved Bolivar. There are even loud whispers of initiating a national referendum to vote on changing the Constitution to amend the 25-year rule.
Some of Chavez's supporters allege another thing may unite the two men.
Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro promised the government would launch a "scientific investigation" into suspicions that Chavez was poisoned. Who would be responsible? Maduro blamed "the country's historical enemies."
Time will tell if the investigation into Chavez's illness reveals anything nefarious behind the cancer that killed him. They couldn't prove much testing Bolivar's remains.
Hugo Chavez, socialist leader of Venezuela, dies after long battle with cancer at the age of 58.
"We could not establish death was by non-natural means or by intentional poisoning," the Chavez government admitted.
For Chavez, that didn't matter. To the day he died, he continued to believe there had been a "great farce" and "cover-up" of Bolivar's death.
"They killed Simon Bolívar. They murdered him and, even though I don't have proof, the circumstances in which he died point to that," he concluded.
Chavez's supporters are now on the hunt for their own smoking gun.
Related:
Full coverage of Hugo Chavez's death from NBC News
Leave a Comment:
What a smug, arrogant SOB posing under a Bolivar painting. Now is Venezuela's moment for change. They should seize that moment and join the rest of the free world and prosper.
They likely will. There has always been this outpouring of grief even for despotic leaders in Latin America. The Chavez effect will last longer than most but I doubt there is a charismatic figure waiting in the wings who will be able to generate the same "appeal" and sooner or later there will be a return to democratic rule in Venezuela which I hope is not corrupt (and thats a stretch).
A Russian immigrant friend of mine tells me of her mother's grief when Stalin died, eek! Just part of human nature, I guess.
$150 million for his tomb. A real social hero would have built 150 schools and gone into a simple burial. Fraud, idiot, kook. That's your boy Chavez. And that's all. He destroyed Venezuela's oil and gas business btw. Set it back to 1940.
Hey NBCNEWS, don't you think it is enough of that Chavez crap. The way you are reporting about this S.O.B. one could think he was a decent human being. NOT!
Cut the crap and get back to things of importance, not Chavez impotence.
To me, Hugo Chavez was nothing more than the cheap and petty thug he was. I pray the world remembers him as such when the verdict of history is handed down!
It is an insult to General Simon Bolivar ,to compare Chavez with him, Chavez amass a large fortune, his daughters, relatives and friends who are complicit of this corrupt populist tyrant that fill his pocket using the National Oil Company , installing his cousin to help him to steal. It was a shame to see Rev. Jackson praying for someone that took away the basic freedoms to the Venezuelan citizens, surrounded by Cuban body guards because he couldn't trust his own greedy group of generals who were like ravens, waiting opportunity to get a peace of meat.
Sure they should 77, Because the US is really doing great. You must be retired and getting a pension.
He died from the same thing he was: A pain in the ass
NBC... what's with the slobbering love afair with this tool?
I bet Fisty, Bev and Pigotry are wearing black this week. Where are those five year olds anyway... most likely gearing up on the Dem talking points since none of them have an original thought of their own.
The US is in real trouble, NBC is posing as a news organization is a prime example. Where's the story about the US department heads trying to make it more painful for US citizens to highlight the sequester cuts. Shameful.
He was a socialist!! ...What do you expect ? They will do the same thing when their beloved Fidel Castro finally kicks it .....Mark my words .
what - bury Fidel, Chavez and Bolivar in the same tomb? SUCH EGOMANIACS...(with Chavez the prime egomaniac)
You sure got that right, Sane America.
The guy was a coorupt dictator, and NBC still can't stop kissing his (deceased) arse.
Did you read the article? It was far from flattering. They called his suspicions "smoking gun" and "his obsession with a legacy much like Bolivar". In fact MSNBC is very good at that. They cover stuff but it is not flattering or objective. Do not worry, they are a big supporters of big business, big elites and imperial men with money and power (after all some fund MSNBC :)) ).
I find it strange that you cannot see that!
I'm sure there's spot for Obama in that tomb anytime he wants it. Nothing strange between those bedfellows.
so...both are in he11?
hell is a myth - but thanks for playing - there are a few parting gifts...
and the people of Venezuela party!!!
God, who phucking cares. Burn this a-hole and scatter his ashes in a landfill.
I do not think the people of Venezuela are having a party, what comes next may be worse than what just left. I'm pretty sure everything is ready to 'elect' his succesor, whoever thinks the elections there are clean and not fixed is definately living on another reality.
maybe - maybe not - chavez had a very large following. the VP is sort of an unknown...
Well, at least Caracas will have a good transit system, with a bus driver at the helm!
crazy is as crazy does...
oh, he was far from crazy - but certainly had an ego a mile wide.
... Guy was crazy!
Crazy maybe, but he sent help to Katrina victims before Bush did (via oil/gas/generators...compliments of Venezuela, Chavez and Citgo)
Chick, you are proving your ignorance with that comment!!!!
If you knew how things really worked and the laws of the land you would be able to figure things out, but that is the problem with libs they do not know what the laws and the Constitution are they just know what they are told by their ignorant leaders and programmers!!!!! The law states that the Federal government cannot intervene unless the State request aid!!! So the federal government could not by law do anything for Katrina until they were requested by the State so blame the ignorant Governors of the States affected not Bush, Bush was not allowed to act by law.
I know following the law and the Constitution is hard for you libs but our country was created so the the States were responsible for certain things and the Feds for others and that is the way it is supposed to be, otherwise you start to get to much power in the Feds the leaders start getting power hungry, much like what odumbass is trying to do right now.
Chavez was a lying thieving piece of crap much like your precious odumbass is!!!! He would steal as much money as he could from the business and land owners and for every dollar he would give 20% to his usefulidiots and keep the other 80% for himself. That way the usefulidiots got a bunch of stuff for free so they would follow him and made his own bank account super rich!!!!
I am sure Bolivar will hardly give him the time of day....Besides they are both DEAD. What difference does it make ...
it's all about APPEARANCES...(not ghostly appearances, the political appearances)
how is it that a country with vast natural resources (e.g. oil mostly) manages to squander it away and leave in it's wake a nation worse off than where it started?
You need look no further than our White House .....and that will answer your question.
Hope Sean Penn and Oliver Stone made it to the funeral. Some of the left's finest!
what difference does it make? I don't think there was an official US contingent
The photo is alomost as ridiculous as the one of Obama posing with the portrait of Lincoln.
Obaman Lies..... best comment yet....
Hmmm....wonder how many "grownups" come back from Disneyland with a pic of them posing with Goofey? Who cares who you get your pic taken with anyway. Both of ya need to grow up
If the people of Venezuela really wanted to honor Chavez and Bolivar they would work tirelessly to restore Gran Columbia. This was the country Bolivar ruled. It was the unified Panama, Columbia, Ecuador and Venezuela. (Plus a few more territories.)
Such a united country could provide a much more solid country socially, economically and culturally. And its true strength would be in that it is even more diverse and willing to use all economic models to further the welfare of all its citizens. Sharing power with the provinces/states within the newly united country would keep the balance of left and right models alive and moving the country forward.
Well GLToffic it is good to see you paid attention to your Intro to Latin American class. Bolivar also said that "governing Latin American was like trying to plow the ocean" meaning it is ungovernable. Yes Chavez was a stupid azz but so were the people before him. It is sad that a country that is so rich in natural resources is so screwed up but it was before Chavez. So the poor got theirs for a little while that is all that has happened. And yes it is sad that the left wing tea party (fiesty, Piggotry etc) aren't commenting but the right wing no nothings are doing just fine.
DM; you should not be so hard on yourself, you right wing no nothing you!!!!
The cancer apparently went to his ganglion - er - brain.
Who knows, maybe it wasn't cancer. Maybe a terminal case of rottencrotch.
Chavez was no better nor worse than the rest of the crackpots that have run Venezuela. Chavez came to power because the wealthy of Venezuela squandered every nickle made in Venezuela on garbage. They were having ice flown in from Miami for their drinks. Chavez and his cronies simply robbed the country like the others did. Chavez used money from the oil to buy food for the poor and to give them some government job where they learned nothing and did nothing. Venezuela only produces oil and beautfy queens. The rich, instead of growing food for the people of Venezuela, raised polo ponies. Venezuela has the second highest murder rate of any Latin country. It is next to Honduras and Honduras has no oil. The murder rate is 4 times as high as cartel Mexico and 15 times higher than gun owning U.S. Caracas is the most crime ridden capital in the world. Chavez ran off any business to replace it with BS. I really wonder if the Venezuelans in general have enough sense to run their own country.
Comparing Bolivar and Chavez is like comparing an microbe with an elephant. Bolivar liberated almost all Spanish colonialism from SA by leading his men in battle, and established democracy. Chavez rallied the poor in Venezuela to support a coupe and then selfishly and paranoid of his opposition, started nationalizing everything he legally could to protect his position of power. Bolivar did not institute a Nazi-like police state that now is responsible for one the highest crime rates on the planet.
How stupid does one have to be, to buy into this person being a national hero. Read about Simon Bolivar and what a great man he was first, then take a look at this clown.
Maybe NBC will have Che Guevara day or something next .....
Why not.. there were posters of Che' in obama's Campaign Headquarters in Houston.
Hilarious to see MSNBC championing Chavez. f course it is to be expected. Who the hell wants to really watch this putz's funeral. Big deal.. they wept and cried at North Korea's little dictator too.
At the expense of sounding judgmental, they're probably reunited alright... in hell. The Bible is pretty clear about where you go if you haven't by faith believed in Jesus Christ. Again, not for me to determine. That's between him and God. But there's certainly nothing in his life that indicated he was a Christian. Too bad. Eternity is a LONG time.
David, as a Christian, I wonder how you presume to know what is in another persons heart, or to presume to know how Jesus Christ will judge anyone else. All we can do is lead the best life we can, with the beliefs we have and let judgement rest with God.
MSNBC is not even credible. What an absolutely lame article ... only place Chavez will meet anyone is not what we aspire to. And whats with the Sean Penn worship? This is newsworthy?
Always have to appreciate how the liberal left adores "the common man" who was a Man of the people." Funny.. for all of his "wealth redistribution" this "common man" died a multi-billionaire
The masses are still unsure so they pretend to cry like they did over the great parka in NK. Hope people there wake up and understand they are now free of his stupidity.
I'm willing to bet his own government killed him because he wasn't sharing the money he stole by nationalizing business. That whole country is whacked.
My personal, totally unfounded by evidence theory is that he died from some form of male-related cancer. Here's why I think so. There's no sign that he died from thyroid cancer (scars, wounds around neck) which would be a possible poisoning cancer (so obviously I don't think he was "poisoned".) There would be no reason to "hide" the type of cancer if it was colon or pancreas or anything innocuous. The only reason to hide it is if it something embarrasing. People get cancer all the time. It's not a "secret" disease. So, my further theory is that he may have picked up some sort of cancer associated with promiscuity.
Like I said, no evidence, nothing. But the guy was a horrible person who stole from his country ($2 Billion "retirement" fund?!?! Really?!?!) while the people suffered tremendously. I guess I like the idea of Karma.
Better go do my good deed for the day so it doesn't catch up with me!
Our media talking heads, starting with Andrea Mitchell, all sound so racist in THEIR interpretations of what is going on with Chavez's death and Korea's threats. I don't understand why news today encompasses the anchors' very flawed opinions.