Latin American independence movements hold "OurLady of Guadalupe" in high esteem

After the American and the French Revolution, Latin Americans began to seek their own independence. "Parent" countries were destabilized by turmoil in Europe and revolutionary ideals began to take hold in Latin America. Internal tensions about leadership also played a role. From 1810-1816 alone, Venezuela, Paraguay, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina all declared independence; the movement continued across the continent. Paths to independence varied from violent to bloodless revolutions. The revolutionary leader Simon Bolivar hoped to unite South America in a confederacy, but his dream was not realized. As independent countries began to form, the Catholic churches in their midst were no longer supported by Portugal and Spain, as they had been in the era of colonial settlement. In the newly independent nations, old patterns broke up and church and state conflicts emerged.