 The novel generated huge controversy in Latin America : some Venezuelan and Colombian politicians described its depiction of Bolívar as " <unk> " . According to Stavans , they accused García Márquez of " <unk> the larger @-@ than @-@ life reputation of a historical figure who , during the nineteenth century , struggled to unite the vast Hispanic world " . The novel 's publication provoked outrage from many Latin American politicians and intellectuals because its portrayal of the General is not the <unk> image long cherished by many . Mexico 's ambassador to Austria , Francisco <unk> <unk> , wrote a <unk> letter , which was widely publicized in Mexico City , <unk> to the portrayal of Bolívar . He stated : " The novel is plagued with errors of fact , conception , fairness , understanding of the historical moment and ignorance of its consequences ... It has served the enemies of Latin America , who care only that they can now <unk> Bolívar , and with him all of us . " Even the novel 's admirers , such as the leading Venezuelan diplomat and writer <unk> <unk> <unk> , worried that some facts were stretched . García Márquez believes , however , that Latin America has to discover the General 's labyrinth to recognize and deal with its own maze of problems . 
