The crossroads of Manuela Saenz in the Latin American cultural imagination of the 21st century

This essay analyzes three works from different genres. all produced in the xxi century. that recreate the image of Manuela Saenz, famous lover of the South American liberator Simon Bolivar. In this work I contend that the opera, the novel and the film, all invite the reader/spectator to rethink the role played by the Ecuadorean heroine in the realm of politics during the age of "La Gran Colombia". This essay discusses the various efforts to rehabilitate Manuela Saenz's image for a contemporary audience. The essay studies how these works negotiate the divide between the image long. held in the Latin American collective memory of Manuela as a submissive lover, and a more contemporary one that presents her as a valuable political actor.