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Mariana Bracetti Cuevas (also spelled Bracety) (1825–1903) was a patriot and leader of the
Puerto Rico independence movement Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...
in the 1860s. She is attributed with having
knitted Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile, or fabric. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. Knitting creates stitches: loops of yarn in a row, either flat or ...
the
flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design emp ...
that was intended to be used as the
national emblem A national emblem is an emblem or seal that is reserved for use by a nation state or multi-national state as a symbol of that nation. Many nations have a seal or emblem in addition to a national flag and a national coat of arms. Other national ...
of
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 ...
in its attempt to overthrow the Spanish government on the island, and to establish the island as a
sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
. The attempted overthrow was the Grito de Lares, and Bracetti's creation became known as "The Flag of Lares." The flag's design was later adopted as the official flag of the municipality of
Lares, Puerto Rico Lares (, ) is a mountain town and municipality of Puerto Rico's central-western area. Lares is located north of Maricao and Yauco; south of Camuy, east of San Sebastián and Las Marias; and west of Hatillo, Utuado and Adjuntas. Lares is ...
.


Early years

Bracetti, born in the city of Añasco, Puerto Rico, met and developed a romantic relationship with Miguel Rojas Luzardo, a rich
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 ...
n businessman visiting Añasco. Rojas and his brother Manuel owned a coffee plantation called "El Triunfo" near Lares. Miguel and Manuel Rojas were admirers of Dr.
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 Puer ...
and were influenced by his ideals of independence for and beyond Puerto Rico. Bracetti married Rojas with whom she had children.


The first independence movement flag of Puerto Rico

Bracetti then moved to the hacienda "El Triunfo", which was to become the clandestine nucleus of the revolution that would be known as El Grito de Lares. The Rojas' admiration for Betances led them to join him in the conspiracy to rebel against, and gain independence from, Spain. The Rojas brothers became the independence leaders in Lares and their code name was ''Centro Bravo'' (Bravo Center). Manuel Rojas, Bracetti's brother-in-law, was named Commander of the Liberation Army. Mathias Brugman was the independence leader in Mayagüez and his group went by the code name of ''Capa Prieto'' (Dark Cape). Bracetti's nickname was ''Brazo de Oro'' (Golden Arm) and she was appointed the leader of the "Lares's Revolutionary Council." Betances suggested that Bracetti knit the first flag (modeled on the Dominican Republic's flag) of the future "Republic of Puerto Rico." With the materials provided by Eduvigis Beauchamp Sterling, named Treasurer of the revolution by Betances, Bracetti designed and knitted the flag taking into consideration Betances's suggestions. The flag was divided in the middle by a white Latin cross, the two lower corners are red and the two upper corners are blue. A white star was placed in the upper left blue corner.''Puerto Rican Women/Mujeres Puertorriqueñas''; By Carmen D. Votaw (author), Michelle Sague (editor), and Pat Barton (illustrator); According to Puerto Rican poet Luis Lloréns Torres the white cross on the Revolutionary Flag of Lares stands for the yearning for homeland redemption; the red squares, the blood poured by the heroes of the rebellion and the white star in the blue solitude square, stands for liberty and freedom.


El Grito de Lares

On the morning of September 23, 1868, an Army of about 800 men met in the ''El Triunfo'' plantation and Manuel Rojas proceeded to take the town of Lares, which initiated the revolution known as ''El Grito de Lares.'' Once the town was taken, Bracetti's flag was placed on the High Altar of the Parroquial Church. The revolutionists declared Puerto Rico a republic, swore in Francisco Ramírez Medina as its first president and celebrated a speedy mass. The rebel forces then departed to take over the next town, San Sebastián del Pepino. The Spanish militia, however, surprised the group with strong resistance, causing great confusion among the armed rebels who, led by Manuel Rojas, retreated back to Lares. Upon an order from the governor, Julián Pavía, the Spanish militia soon rounded up the rebels. All of the survivors, including Bracetti, were imprisoned in
Arecibo Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan ...
and the insurrection was quickly brought to an end. The original Lares flag was taken by a Spanish army officer as a war prize and many years later returned to the Puerto Rican people. It is now exhibited in the University of Puerto Rico's Museum. Eighty of the prisoners died in jail, Bracetti however, lived and was released on January 20, 1869, when the new Spanish Republican government granted them general amnesty. Mariana Bracetti died in the municipality of Añasco, Puerto Rico in 1903 and was buried in the Plaza of Añasco. There is a monument honoring her on the spot where she is buried.


Legacy

Juan de Mata Terreforte, a revolutionist who fought alongside Manuel Rojas in the Grito de Lares, and who was the Vice-President of Puerto Rican Revolutionary Committee, a Chapter of the Cuban Revolutionary Party in New York City, adopted Bracetti's "Flag of Lares" as the flag which represented Puerto Rico. It became their standard until 1892 when the current design, modeled after the Cuban flag, was unveiled and adopted by the committee. Bracetti was the principal subject of two books: ''El Grito de Lares'' by Luis Lloréns Torres, and ''Brazo de Oro'' by Cesáreo Rosa-Nieves. Her memory has been honored in Puerto Rico and elsewhere with schools, streets and avenues named after her. In Lares, there is a Mariana Bracetti Museum and in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sin ...
there is a Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School. The Mariana Bracetti Plaza and public housing development in New York City was also named after her. The public housing development built and maintained by the New York City Housing Authority in New York City's Lower East Side.New York City Housing Authority


See also

*
Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico resulted in the 19th century from widespread economic and political changes in Europe that made life difficult for the peasant and agricultural classes in Corsica and other territories. The Second Industrial R ...
* List of Puerto Ricans *
History of women in Puerto Rico The recorded history of Puerto Rican women can trace its roots back to the era of the ''Taíno'', the indigenous people of the Caribbean, who inhabited the island that they called "Boriken" before the arrival of Spaniards. During the Spanish c ...
*For the Mexican professional wrestler "Brazo de Oro", click here. 19th century female leaders of the Puerto Rican independence movement * María de las Mercedes Barbudo * Lola Rodríguez de Tió Female members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party * Blanca Canales * Rosa Collazo *
Lolita Lebrón Lolita Lebrón (November 19, 1919 – August 1, 2010) was a Puerto Rican nationalist who was convicted of attempted murder and other crimes after carrying out an armed attack on the United States Capitol in 1954, which resulted in the wound ...
* Ruth Mary Reynolds * Isabel Rosado * Isabel Freire de Matos * Isolina Rondón * Olga Viscal Garriga Articles related to the Puerto Rican Independence Movement * Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Revolts of the 1950s *
Puerto Rican Nationalist Party The Nationalist Party of Puerto Rico ( es, Partido Nacionalista de Puerto Rico, PNPR) is a Puerto Rican political party founded on September 17, 1922, in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Its primary goal is to work for Puerto Rico's independence. The P ...
* Ponce massacre * Río Piedras massacre *
Puerto Rican Independence Party The Puerto Rican Independence Party ( es, Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño, PIP) is a social-democratic political party in Puerto Rico that campaigns for the independence of Puerto Rico from the United States. Those who follow the PI ...
* Grito de Lares * Intentona de Yauco


References


Further reading

*''Puerto Rican Women/Mujeres Puertorriqueñas'' (Paperback). By Carmen Delgado Votaw (author), Michelle Sague (editor), and Pat Barton (illustrator); * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bracetti, Mariana 1825 births 1903 deaths Flag designers People from Añasco, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of Corsican descent Puerto Rican rebels Puerto Rican prisoners and detainees Puerto Rican women in politics Puerto Rican women in the military Imprisoned Puerto Rican independence activists Puerto Rican independence activists 19th-century Puerto Rican people Female revolutionaries