This 1,600-gram tribute to “The Man of Laws” is essentially a compilation of documents, previously published or otherwise, tied together with connecting comments of varying length and depth of which some are simply quoted from other authors. They cover the period from Santander’s arrest for alleged involvement in the September 1828 attempt on Bolívar’s life to Santander’s inauguration as president of New Granada on returning from exile in 1832, and they fall mostly into three categories: correspondence to and from Santander; excerpts from his travel diary; and other writings of Santander himself, of which some of the most interesting are scribblings on the page margins of a volume read in prison at Bocachica. However, there are also certain miscellaneous items such as a Spanish translation of the rare sketch of Santander published in German in 1830 by C. N. Röding.
What attracted most atttention in Colombia was the frankness with which Rodríguez Plata has treated Santander’s long affair with Nicolasa Ibáñez de Caro. Though he does cite notarial records on certain property transactions between them, for the most part he is only repeating what other writers had already said; but he does deal with the relationship more comprehensively than usual, and with a view to humanizing the traditional austere image of Santander. He likewise goes out of his way to emphasize Santander’s modest financial resources, appreciation of European culture during his exile, and constant dedication to liberal ideals. He might also have stressed one other quality that stands out from the assembled materials: Santander’s never failing faith in the utter correctness of his own past conduct and present views, in the manner of that twentieth-century Santander, Carlos Lleras Restrepo.
