Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez unveiled the new pearl- and diamond-studded coffin during a ceremony marking the 181th anniversary of Bolivar’s death.
Officials revealed that Hugo Chávez’s administration is investing $27.7 million to build a new mausoleum for Bolivar’s remains, in addition to footing the bill for the new coffin, which is adorned with gold stars, the national seal, golden laurels, and Bolivar’s initials.
President Chávez ordered and supervised the exhumation of Bolivar’s remains last year to confirm the identity and dispel rumors about the hero’s actual cause of death
Bolivar died in Santa Marta, Colombia in 1830.
Researchers confirmed Bolivar’s identity through DNA tests but were unable to determine the cause of his death.
