Ángel Rivero Méndez
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Ángel Rivero Méndez (1862 – February 23, 1930) was a Puerto Rican soldier, writer, journalist and a businessman. Rivero Méndez was a Captain in the
Spanish Army The Spanish Army ( es, Ejército de Tierra, lit=Land Army) is the terrestrial army of the Spanish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is one of the oldest active armies — dating back to the late 15th century. The ...
during the
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
and is credited with ordering the first shot against the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
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 ...
in said conflict. After the war, he became a
US Citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
and upon his retirement, he wrote , a chronicle of the Spanish-American War in Puerto Rico. He is also credited with inventing the Kola Champagne, a carbonated soft drink.


Early years

Rivero Méndez was born in
Trujillo Bajo, Carolina, Puerto Rico Trujillo Bajo is a barrio in the municipality of Carolina, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 8,805. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and be ...
to Rosa Méndez and Juan Rivero, who had both immigrated to Puerto Rico from the
Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
. He was baptized into the Catholic religion at the
Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, San Juan The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi (Spanish: ''Iglesia de San Francisco de Asís'') is a historic Catholic parish church located in the San Francisco sub-barrio of Old San Juan in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The church has gone numerous transformat ...
on November 2, 1862. Rivero received his education at the "Colegio de Jesuitas" in Santurce (a section of
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...
, the capital 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 ...
). After graduation, he enlisted in the Spanish Army and entered the Infantry Academy of Puerto Rico. He was given an officer's commission upon graduation from the Academy on August 2, 1882. On October 16, 1882, Rivero Méndez married Manuela Boneta y Babel from San Juan. In 1885, he was accepted into the General Military Academy of Toledo in
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. There he wrote ''Toledo'', a book about the city of
Toledo, Spain Toledo ( , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, capital of the province of Toledo and the ''de jure'' seat of the government and parliament of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. Toledo was declare ...
. In 1886, Rivero Méndez was transferred to the Academy of Artillery in
Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is in the Inner Plateau (''Meseta central''), near the northern slopes of th ...
and, on February 28, 1889, he earned a degree in
Industrial Engineering Industrial engineering is an engineering profession that is concerned with the optimization of complex process (engineering), processes, systems, or organizations by developing, improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, kno ...
.


Military career

On January 1, 1890, Rivero Méndez returned to Puerto Rico and was assigned to the 12th Battalion of Plaza. He taught at the Military Preparatory Academy in San Juan and, in 1896, was promoted to the rank of captain. He was active in politics in the ranks of the Unconditional Spanish Party. As a captain, he was assigned to teach math and chemistry at the Civil Institution of Secondary Education. During this time in his life, he became active in politics as member of the Unconditional Spanish Party. Rivero Méndez also founded a newspaper called ''La Integridad Nacional'' (The National Integrity), a political paper which represented the views of the party. Rivero Méndez, along with some others was expelled from the party and together they formed another political party. An article criticizing the government, written by Rivero Méndez, was published and as a consequence, he was arrested and sent to jail. Due to the rumors of war, he was pardoned by Governor Macias and, on March 1, 1898, was assigned the command of the 3rd Company of the 12th Artillery Battalion at Fort San Cristóbal in San Juan.


Spanish–American War

When the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
declared war against Spain, the
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
sent to form a blockade in
San Juan Bay San Juan Bay ( es, Bahía de San Juan) is the bay and main inlet adjacent to Old San Juan in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is about in length, the largest body of water in an estuary of about of channels, inlets and eight interconnected lagoons ...
. On May 10, 1898, Captain Rivero Méndez ordered his men to fire upon ''Yale'', thus becoming the first attack against the Americans in Puerto Rico of
Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...
. For his actions, he was awarded the "Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Militar 1ra Clase con Distintivo Rojo" ( The Cross of the Order of the Military Merit first class). The residents of San Juan were furious with Rivero Méndez and blamed him for the destruction caused to their city by the responding bombardments, however nothing came of those accusations.


Battle of Fajardo

On August 1, under the command of Captain Frederic W. Rodgers, was sailing by the coastline of the city of
Fajardo Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area. Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...
, when Rogers noticed the "Faro de Las Cabezas de San Juan" ( Cape San Juan lighthouse) which was supposed to be the landing site for the US Army in Puerto Rico. Rodgers ordered some of his men ashore, which included Puerto Rican volunteers, with the mission of posting the American Flag atop the lighthouse. On August 2, three more ships, , , and arrived and joined ''Puritan''. The 25-man Spanish garrison stationed in the city became aware of the American presence and, after notifying their superiors in San Juan, were told to withdraw. When Dr. Santiago Veve Calzada, the mayor of the city, realized that the garrison was gone and that the city was defenseless against the invading Americans, he implored the Spanish authorities in San Juan to dispatch troops to defend his city. Believing that the Spanish forces would not come to his aid, Dr. Santiago Veve Calzada then went to the lighthouse to seek protection for the city from the Americans. On the afternoon of August 3, Dr. Veve Calzada entered the city with a contingent of
Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
and the United States flag was hoisted over the Fajardo Customs House and City Hall. Rivero Méndez was ordered to investigate the situation in Fajardo. He was told that the Americans no longer occupied the city and that it would be an easy task to capture the people of Fajardo who had betrayed Spain. Rivero Méndez passed the information to General Ortega who suggested to General Macías take the town with 200 soldiers and an artillery battery. Macías was told to capture Dr. Veve and all those involved in the revolt, including the Americans in the lighthouse, even it meant the destruction of the lighthouse. Macías refused to accept Ortega's plan. On August 4, Governor General Macías sent Colonel Pedro del Pino and 200 men to recapture the city. When Colonel Pino entered Fajardo he found it nearly deserted because the residents, fearing a battle, had fled to the Fajardo lighthouse. Pino waited until darkness fell and then ordered his men to attack the lighthouse. The Marines signaled the ships that they were under attack and the ships began to bombard the shore in a protective pattern. The Spanish forces retreated back to the city. The following day
U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
Lieutenant
John A. Lejeune John Archer Lejeune (; January 10, 1867 – November 20, 1942) was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general and the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps. Lejeune served for nearly 40 years in the military, and commanded the U.S. Army's 2n ...
came ashore with a detachment of Marines and evacuated the civilians and Marines for transport to Ponce, and the lighthouse was abandoned. Meanwhile, in the City of Fajardo, Pino's men tore down the United States flags that flew over the Customs House and City Hall and returned to San Juan after verifying that the lighthouse was abandoned, displaying the flags as his trophies of war. It was the only time that American forces were forced to withdraw from any position during the campaign in Puerto Rico.


End of the conflict

Spain surrendered and Puerto Rico became a possession of the United States as an outcome of the
Treaty of Paris of 1898 The Treaty of Peace between the United States of America and the Kingdom of Spain, commonly known as the Treaty of Paris of 1898 ( fil, Kasunduan sa Paris ng 1898; es, Tratado de París de 1898), was a treaty signed by Spain and the United Stat ...
. On October 18, 1898, Rivero Méndez was ordered to turn over the keys of all the military installations in San Juan to Captain Henry A. Reed of the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. Rivero Méndez was offered a military position by both the American and Spanish governments. He declined both offers and, on April 18, 1899, he officially retired from the Spanish Army. Newspaper reports from his obituary state that he served as governor of Puerto Rico for two days and that after the war, Rivero Méndez became a US Citizen.


Later years


Kola Champagne

In 1902, a few years after the end of the Spanish-American War, Rivero Méndez founded (The North Pole soda factory) under Sres. Rivero & Co. where he created Kola Champagne, which became a popular soft drink in Puerto Rico. While developing the drink he worked on his book
''Chronicle of the Spanish-American War in Puerto Rico''
Now, Kola Champagne is manufactured and sold in the United States and Mexico by Goya Foods. Inc. Other countries that have also produced the drink are Colombia and Jamaica. While attending the
2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, was the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021. The ...
(COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, member of the US House of Representatives
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of th ...
tried the Scottish soft drink
Irn-Bru Irn-Bru ( "iron brew", ) is a Scottish carbonated soft drink, often described as "Scotland's other national drink" (after whisky). Introduced in 1901, the drink is produced in Westfield, Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, by A.G. Barr of Glasgow ...
and said she loved it, and that it tasted just like Kola Champagne.


Author

Rivero Méndez dedicated much of his later years to obtaining records and information for a book he ultimately wrote, on the Spanish–American War in Puerto Rico. He also wrote articles for the newspapers ''
El Imparcial ''El Imparcial'', founded in 1918, was a newspaper in Puerto Rico. It circulated daily, except Sundays./ ''About El Imparcial. (San Juan, P.R.) 1918-197?.''] United States Library of Congress. Retrieved 26 July 2012. Its complete name was ''El I ...
'', '' El Mundo (Puerto Rico), El Mundo'' and ''La Correspondencia de Puerto Rico'', where he defended Puerto Rican nationalism and the ideal of Puerto Rican independence. In 1922, Rivero Méndez published his book ''Crónica de la Guerra Hispano Americana en Puerto Rico'' (Chronicles of the Spanish–American War in Puerto Rico), which is considered one of the most complete works written in regard to that military action. Rivero Méndez and his wife were devotees of the
Virgin of Lourdes Our Lady of Lourdes (french: Notre-Dame de Lourdes) is a title of the Virgin Mary. She is venerated under this title by the Roman Catholic church due to her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, o ...
. In 1924, he built a shrine dedicated to the Virgin of Lourdes, on his land in Trujillo Alto. The shrine, which still stands today and is considered an important landmark of the area, was blessed by San Juan's Bishop Jorge Caruana on January 6, 1925.


Death

Rivero Méndez shot himself on February 23, 1930. He was at his country home in barrio Cuevas, in Trujillo Alto, where he died of a gunshot wound. He was 68 years old.Puerto Rico, Civil Registration, 1805-2001 Trujillo Alto Defunciones 1929-1946, Folio 107 # 28 His remains are buried in the
Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery is a colonial-era cemetery located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is the final resting place of many of Puerto Rico's most prominent natives and residents. Construction began in 1863 under ...
, in
San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the jur ...
.


Military decoration

Military decoration awarded to Rivero Méndez: * Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Militar 1ra Clase con Distantivo Rojo (Order of Military Merit 1st Class) File:Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Militar.jpg, Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Militar 1ra Clase con Distantivo Rojo


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 ...
* Puerto Rican Campaign *
Military history of Puerto Rico The recorded military history of Puerto Rico encompasses the period from the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadores battled native Taínos in the rebellion of 1511, to the present employment of Puerto Ricans in the United States Armed Forces ...
*
Puerto Rican scientists and inventors Before Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Conquistadors landed on the island of "Borikén" (Puerto Rico), the Tainos who inhabited the island depended on their astronomical observations for the cultivation of their crops. In 1581, Juan ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivero-Mendez, Angel 1862 births 1930 deaths Burials at Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery People from Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of Canarian descent Unconditional Spanish Party politicians Recipients of Spanish royal pardons Spanish military personnel of the Spanish–American War Puerto Rican Army personnel Puerto Rican businesspeople Puerto Rican inventors Puerto Rican journalists Puerto Rican military officers 19th-century Puerto Rican people Suicides by firearm in Puerto Rico Puerto Rican nationalists Puerto Rican independence activists