Miguel de Bonilla y Laya-Bolívar (1763–1826) was a Costa Rican Roman Catholic priest and politician. He was one of the signatories of the Costa Rican Declaration of Independence. Bonilla was baptized in Cartago, Costa Rica on September 30, 1763. His parents were Sergeant Major Andrés de Bonilla y Sáenz and María Gertrudis de Laya-Bolívar y Miranda. José Santiago de Bonilla y Laya-Bolívar, president of Costa Rica's governing junta in 1822, was his brother. Bonilla was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

as a priest in

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. He was in charge of several

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in Costa Rica and was the proprietor of valuable ranching property. He was called by the nickname ''Padre Tiricia'' (Father

Jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...

), apparently because he suffered from the disease. The '' ayuntamientos'' of the town of

Bagaces Bagaces is a district of the Bagaces canton, in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. Geography Bagaces has an area of km² and an elevation of metres. Communities The district includes the towns of Bagaces, Pijije, Montenegro, Montano, and ...

, the city of

Esparza Esparza is a Basque people, Basque surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Antonio Esparza (born 1962), Spanish cyclist *Audrey Esparza (born 1986), American actress *Carla Esparza (born 1987), American mixed martial artist *Carlos Es ...

, and several indigenous peoples designated Bonilla in October 1821 as their representative in the ''Junta de Legados de los Ayuntamientos'' that met in Cartago on October 25–26, 1821 to discuss Costa Rica's independence from Spain. On October 29, 1821, he attended the session of the ayuntamiento of Cartago en which the Costa Rican Declaration of Independence was ratified. He was one of the members of the Costa Rican republican party during the era of independence. One of the supporters of the empire, the Catalan Juan Freses de Ñeco, son-in-law of the royalist military commander Joaquín de Oreamuno y Muñoz de la Trinidad, shouted, "''Padre Tiricia'' returns, because we will kill him!" (''¡Ese padre Tiricia que se vuelva, porque lo matamos!''), and immediately shot him with a bullet that pierced his

cassock The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denomi ...

. Bonilla walked to

Alajuela Alajuela () is a district in the Alajuela canton of the Alajuela Province of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Alajuela canton, it is awarded the status of city. By virtue of being the city of the first canton of the province, it i ...

with

Rafael Francisco Osejo Rafael Francisco Osejo was a Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacifi ...

, president of the toppled government, and there they convinced

Gregorio José Ramírez y Castro Gregorio is a masculine given name and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Gregorio Conrado Álvarez (1925–2016), Uruguayan army general and de facto President of Uruguay from 1981 until 1985 * Gregorio Álvarez (historian) (1889–1986), ...

to command the republican forces, who defeated the royalists in the

Battle of Ochomogo The Ochomogo War was a civil war fought in Costa Rica, the first in its history, and was fought shortly after the country became independent from Spain. The most important event was the Battle of Ochomogo (5 April 1823) which was fought on Oc ...

the following April 5. Bonilla died in Cartago, Costa Rica, in August 1826.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonilla, Miguel Costa Rican politicians Costa Rican Roman Catholic priests 1763 births 1826 deaths People from Cartago Province