Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is back in international headlines, but not for the Latin American strongman's ailing health or his upcoming election. Instead, as Peter Wilson explains in a recent article for Foreign Policy, the spotlight is on the $140 million edifice Chávez is having constructed for Venezuela's long-dead independence hero, Simón Bolívar.
Rumors have swirled that Chávez may be intending for the 160-foot-tall mausoleum to house his remains as well, and the lavish construction project hasn't been well-received in a country struggling with unemployment and inflation. Here's an inside look at the new tomb and Chávez's love affair with Bolívar.
Above, a view of the new mausoleum, under construction on May 29, 2012.
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