Luisa Recabárren de Marin (1777 – after 1820), was one of the national heroines of the
Chilean War of Independence. A socialite and the host of a
literary salon, she was able to serve as a
spy
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
and advisor for the rebels using her influential contacts.
Biography
Early and personal life
Born in
La Serena around 1777, Luisa Recabárren de Marin was the daughter of Josefa Genara Aguirre Rojas Argandoña, and Francisco de Paula Recabarren Pardo Figueroa, relative of , the . Luisa's high-status parents gave her a high-quality education, where she learned
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
. In addition to this, she possessed a great curiosity for a variety of topics, including historical, social, religious, and political matters.
She had five children with . Her children were: ,
Mercedes
Mercedes may refer to:
People
* Mercedes (name), a Spanish feminine name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or last name
Automobile-related
* Mercedes (marque), the pre-1926 brand name of German automobile m ...
, , Estanislao, and Javiera.
Salon
Influenced by the work of the pro-Chilean independence
Camilo Henríquez
Friar José Camilo Henríquez González (; July 29, 1769 in Valdivia, Chile – March 16, 1825 in Santiago de Chile) was a priest, author, politician, and is considered an intellectual antecedent to and founding father of the Republic of Chile ...
, Luisa Recabárren de Marin used her salon as a platform to discuss revolutionary ideas. In her salon, she planned revolts using information from high-profile contacts and plotted a path towards independence. Her advice was well-respected and heeded, and her salon was regarded as the epicenter of discussion of the revolution.
Later, as Spanish forces advanced in Chile, all of her personal assets (her husband had temporarily relocated to
Argentina and she managed his business) were seized by the Spanish. However, she was able to get them back and resume her salon due to her high status.
She was imprisoned in the Las de Agustinas Monastery from 4 January to 12 February 1817.
Death
Sources are not specific about her death, but one reports that she died in Santiago on 31 May 1839.
References
* R. Adams, Jerome
Notable Latin American Women: Twenty-nine Leaders, Rebels, Poets, Battlers and spies, 1500-1900MacFarland (1995)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Recabarren de Marin, Luisa
1777 births
Women in 19th-century warfare
Female wartime spies
19th-century spies
Chilean salon-holders
Year of death missing
19th-century Chilean people
Viceroyalty of Peru people