Puerto Rico's Revolt for Independence: El Grito De Lares by Olga Jimenez de Wagenheim

Author:Olga Jimenez de Wagenheim [Wagenheim, Olga Jimenez de]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780367284862
Google: 11fexgEACAAJ
Goodreads: 51010862
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 1985-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The Rebel Cells Prepare for the Uprising

According to the Betances' documents published by Bonafoux only two of the societies that participated in the uprising had been officially recognized by the Comité Revolucionario by February 1868. These were Capá Prieto No. 1, in Mayagüez, and Centro Bravo No, 2, in Lares. Both of them were accepted by the Comité on the same day, 24 February 1868.60 In other words, the two oldest societies only came into existence seven months before the rebels took to the streets chanting "long live free Puerto Rico."

In February, the Comité also met to name three agents, or delegates. Those named were: José Celis Aguilera,61 assigned the northeastern area around the capital, San Juan; Carlos Elio Lacroix,62 the southern area of Ponce; and Juan Chavarri,63 to organize Mayagüez.

At the end of February 1868 the Lares and Mayagüez societies had chosen their juntas and were presumably working toward the goal of independence. In Lares, the junta of Centra Bravo was composed of Manuel Rojas, President; Francisco Ramírez, Vice-President; Andrés Pol, Treasurer; Manuel Ramírez, Secretary; Joaquín Parrilla, brother instructor; Clemente Milán, agent of relaciones exteriores and two alternates: Mariana Bracetti and Miguel Pol.64

Among the members of Centro Bravo, not included in the policymaking process, but considered important to the society, were: Aurelio Méidez, merchant, money lender, and Justice of the Peace in Lares; Cristino Zeno Correa, Méndez' secretary; Bernardo Cuinlan, the scribe to the cabildo of Lares; and the hacendados Dionisio Colon, Pedro Pablo González, and the brothers Gabino and Leopoldo Plumey.65

In Mayagüez, Capá Prieto had its headquarters in barrio Furnias, in the home of its president, Matías Brugman. The junta of Capá Prieto was as follows: Juan de Mata Terreforte,66 Vice-President; Pablo Antonio Beauchamp,67 Treasurer; Baldomero Bauren68 (sic), Secretary; Francisco Arroyo,69 brother instructor; Juan Chavarri, agent of relaciones exteriores; and two alternates: Pedro and Eduviges Beauchamp.70

Many of the members of these societies were related to each other by blood lines and/or marriage. For example, in the Lares cell, the leaders Rojas, the Pol brothers, Francisco Ramírez, Clemente Millán, and Aurelio Méndez, were all married to the six daughters of José Manuel Serrano, the sexton of the Lares church. Mariana Bracetti was married to Miguel Rojas, a brother of the president of Centro Bravo.71 in Mayagüez, the Brugmans were related to the Beauchamps and the Arroyos, as two of Brugman's daughters married men from those families. Another daughter, Isabel Brugman, married an overseer in their hacienda, Agustín Lars,72 also a member of Capá Prieto. Bruno Laracuenta, an hacendado and slave owner, married one of the Arroyo sisters,73 while Adolfo Betances, brother of Ramón Emeterio, married one of the Terreforte sisters.74

Two other societies operating in Puerto Rico in July 1868 were Lanzador del Norte in barrio Palomar, Camuy, and Porvenir in the municipality of Pepino (San Sebastián). The junta of the Camuy cell was composed of Manuel María González, President; Bartolomé González Soto,75 Treasurer; Marcelino Vega,76 Secretary; Carlos Martínez,77 brother instructor. We found no information about the posts of vice-president, agents, and alternates in this society.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.