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Manuel Rojas Luzardo (1831 – October 14, 1903) was a Puerto Rican-Venezuelan commander of the Puerto Rican Liberation Army and one of the main leaders of the Grito de Lares uprising against Spanish rule in
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...
.


Early years

Manuel Rojas Luzardo was born in the city of Obispos in the state of Barinas,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, from a Puerto Rican father and a Venezuelan mother. There he received his primary and secondary education. Rojas was a dedicated agricultural worker and when he had saved enough money he moved to
Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...
, Spain where he became a successful businessmen.UN VENEZOLANO PROMOTOR DE LA INDEPENDENCIA DE PUERTO RICO'
/ref> In the early 19th century Venezuela's economy was in turmoil because of internal wars. Rojas decided to go to Puerto Rico where he met and married Obdulia de los Ríos. The Rojas family moved close to the town of
Lares Lares ( , ; archaic , singular ''Lar'') were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been hero-ancestors, guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries, or fruitfulness, or an amalgam of these. Lare ...
where they settled down. The region was mountainous and its main income came from the coffee crop. Rojas and his brother, Miguel eventually bought and cultivated a coffee plantation. The successful plantation was called "El Triunfo", and both men became wealthy merchants.Manuel Rojas
/ref> His brother Miguel meet Mariana Bracetti while on a business trip to Añasco. Miguel and Mariana married and moved to "El Triunfo" where the Rojas lived.In Search of a National Identity: Nineteenth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Puerto Rico
/ref>


Puerto Rico's independence movement

Rojas admired Puerto Rican independence advocate
Ramón Emeterio Betances Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán (April 8, 1827 – September 16, 1898) was a Puerto Rican independence advocate and medical doctor. He was the primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution and is considered to be the father of the Pu ...
and together with his brother Miguel, joined Betances in his quest for Puerto Rico's independence. A "Revolution Committee of Puerto Rico" was formed and directed by Betances and
Segundo Ruiz Belvis Segundo Ruiz Belvis (13 May 1829 – 3 November 1867) was a Puerto Rican abolitionist who also fought for Puerto Rico's right to independence. Early years Ruiz Belvis was born in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico (then a barrio of the municipality ...
, who were exiled, from the
Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...
. Several revolutionary cells were formed in the towns and cities in the western part of the island. They were to support the armed invasion that Betances had planned to bring from the Dominican Republic. Two of the most important cells were that of Mayagüez, whose leader was Mathias Brugman and code named "Capa Prieto" and that of Lares, code named "Centro Bravo" and headed by Manuel Rojas. "Centro Bravo" was the main center of operations and was located in the Rojas plantation. Manuel Rojas was named "Commander of the Liberation Army" by Betances. Mariana Bracetti (wife of Miguel) was named "Leader of the Lares Revolutionary Council". Upon the request of Betances, Bracetti knitted the revolutionary Flag of Lares known as " La Bandera de Lares". The Revolutionary Committee named twelve of their members generals of the revolution. They were: *Manuel Rojas, Commander in Chief of the Liberation Army *Andres Pol, General of Division *Juan de Mata Terraforte, General of Division *Joaquín Parrilla, General of Division *Nicolás Rocafort, General of Division *Gabino Plumey, General of Division *Dorvid Beauchamp, General of Division *Mathías Brugman, General of Division *Rafael Arroyo, General of Division *Francisco Arroyo, General of Division *Pablo Rivera, Cavalry General *Abdón Pagán, Artillery General The Spanish authorities found out about the plot and were able to confiscate the armed ship which Betances had, before it arrived in Puerto Rico. The Mayor of the town of
Camuy Camuy () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Lares and San Sebastián; east of Quebradillas; and west of Hatillo. Camuy is spread over 12 barrios and Camuy Pueblo (the downtown area and the admini ...
, Manuel González (who also happened to be the leader of that town's revolutionary cell) was arrested and charged with treason. He was able to hear that the Spanish Army was aware of the independence plot. He then escaped and was able to warn Manuel Rojas.


El Grito de Lares

Because of this event, the revolutionists decided to start the revolution as soon as possible and set the date for September 23, 1868. Mathias Brugman and his men joined up with Manuel Rojas's men and with about 800 men and women, marched and took the town of Lares in what is known as "El Grito de Lares". The revolutionists entered the town's church and placed the revolutionary flag knitted by Bracetti on the High Altar as a sign that the revolution had begun. They declared Puerto Rico to be the "Republic of Puerto Rico" and named
Francisco Ramírez Medina Francisco Ramírez Medina (born c.1828), was one of the leaders of "El Grito de Lares", the first major revolt against Spanish rule and call for independence in Puerto Rico in 1868. He has thus far been the only person to be named "President of t ...
President of the Republic of Puerto Rico. Rojas and his poorly armed followers proceeded to march on to the town of
San Sebastián San Sebastian, officially known as Donostia–San Sebastián (names in both local languages: ''Donostia'' () and ''San Sebastián'' ()) is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the ...
, armed only with clubs and machetes. The Spanish Army had been forewarned and were waiting for them with superior firepower. When the revolutionists arrived, they were met with deadly fire. The revolt failed and many of the revolutionists were killed and at least 475 including, Manuel Rojas and Mariana Bracetti were imprisoned in the jail of Arecibo and sentenced to death. Some of them fled and went into hiding. Mathias Brugman was hiding in a local farm when a farm hand by the name of Francisco Quiñones, betrayed him and led the Spanish Authorities to Brugman's hiding place. He was executed on the spot.


Aftermath

He was arrested that October and sentenced to death by a court-martial.
Eugenio María de Hostos Eugenio María de Hostos (January 11, 1839 – August 11, 1903), known as "''El Gran Ciudadano de las Américas''" ("The Great Citizen of the Americas"), was a Puerto Rican educator, philosopher, intellectual, lawyer, sociologist, novelist, an ...
led a group of Puerto Ricans who defended those who were involved in the revolt. They met with Spanish President Francisco Serrano (Serrano had just led a revolution against the monarchy in Spain) in Madrid and requested that Rojas and the others be pardoned and that the government not carry out the death penalties imposed upon them. Serrano told de Hostos that if an amnesty was granted it would be for the natives of Puerto Rico and not for the foreigners who participated in the revolt, referring to Rojas. However, de Hostos argued that Rojas was an adoptive son of Puerto Rico, since he arrived in the island at a young age and made it his home and as such should have the same rights that the others had. The incoming governor of Puerto Rico, Jose Sanz, received orders from the new Republican Spanish Government to grant a general amnesty to all those imprisoned, effective on September 20, 1869. Manuel Rojas along with some of the other men involved in the revolution were sent into exile. Rojas was exiled to Venezuela and went to live in
Boconó Boconó is a city in the Venezuelan Andes, Andean States of Venezuela, state of Trujillo (state), Trujillo. Founded in 1560, this city is the County seat, shire town of the Boconó Municipality and, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census, the mu ...
a city in the Venezuelan Andean state of Trujillo. Little is known about what he did after he went into exile except that he died on October 14, 1903, in Boconó. On December 25, 2002, the
Government of Puerto Rico The government of Puerto Rico is a republican form of government with separation of powers, subject to the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United States.Institute of Puerto Rican Culture The Institute of Puerto Rican Culture ( es, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña), or ICP, for short, is an institution of the Government of Puerto Rico responsible for the establishment of the cultural policies required in order to study, preser ...
to study the possibility of transferring the remains of Manuel Rojas, considered by many to be among Puerto Rico's greatest independence leaders.Ley Núm. 291 del año 2002
(Spanish)


Legacy

A school in
Bartolo, Lares, Puerto Rico Bartolo is a barrio in the municipality of Lares, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 2,035. Bartolo is on the southeastern border of Lares and Adjuntas. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War un ...
is named after Rojas.


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans *
List of Puerto Rican military personnel Throughout history Puerto Ricans, including people of Puerto Rican descent, have gained notability as members of the military. They have served and have fought for many countries, such as Canada, Cuba, England, Mexico, Spain, the United States an ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rojas, Manuel 1831 births 1903 deaths People from Lares, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican nationalists Puerto Rican military officers Puerto Rican rebels Imprisoned Puerto Rican independence activists Puerto Rican independence activists 19th-century Puerto Rican people