María de las Mercedes Barbudo (1773 – February 17, 1849) was a Puerto Rican political activist, the first woman ''Independentista'' in the island, and a "Freedom Fighter".Natalia de Cuba, "Puerto Rico's first female Freedom Fighter"
(PDF), ''San Juan Star'', October 20, 1997; page 30, Retrieved on June 20, 2011.Meaning of "Independentista"
, ''Dictionary Reverso'', Retrieved on June 20, 2011. At the time, the

Puerto Rican independence movement Throughout the history of Puerto Rico, its inhabitants have initiated several movements to obtain independence for the island, first from the Spanish Empire from 1493 to 1898 and since then from the United States. A spectrum of pro-autonomy, ...

had ties with the Venezuelan rebels led by

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...

."Mercedes – La primera Independentista Puertorriquena" (in Spanish)
. 80grados.net. Retrieved on June 20, 2011.

Early years

Barbudo (birth name: María de las Mercedes Barbudo y Coronado) was one of four siblings born in

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, to a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

father, Domingo Barbudo, and Puerto Rican mother, Belén Coronado. Her father was an officer 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 ...

. The benefits of being the daughter of a military officer was that she could afford to obtain an education and to buy books. She was one of the few women in the island who learned to read because at the time, the only people who had access to libraries and who could afford books were either appointed Spanish government officials or wealthy landowners. The poor depended on oral story telling, in what are traditionally known in Puerto Rico as ''Coplas'' and ''Décimas.'' Well educated, Barbudo became interested in politics and social activism.

Political activist

As a young woman, Barbudo founded a sewing goods store in San Juan, specialising in the sale of buttons, threads and clothes. She eventually became successful as a personal loan provider. She dealt commercially with Joaquín Power y Morgan, an immigrant who came to Puerto Rico as a representative of the Compañía de Asiento de Negros, which regulated the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

on the island.Chinea, Jorge L
"Irish Indentured Servants, Papists and Colonists in Spanish Colonial Puerto Rico, ca. 1650–1800"
, in ''Irish Migration Studies in Latin America'', 5:3 (November 2007), pp. 171–182. Accessed November 29, 2008. Barbudo moved in prominent circles, which included notable citizens such as Captain

Ramón Power y Giralt Captain Ramón Power y Giralt (October 7, 1775 – June 10, 1813), commonly known as Ramón Power, was, according to Puerto Rican historian Lidio Cruz Monclova, among the first native-born Puerto Ricans to refer to himself as a " Puerto Rican" a ...

(Joaquín's son), Bishop Juan Alejo de Arizmendi and the artist

José Campeche José Campeche y Jordán (December 23, 1751 – November 7, 1809), is the first known Puerto Rican visual artist and considered by art critics as one of the best rococo artists in the Americas. Campeche y Jordán loved to use colors that refere ...

. She had a liberal mind and as such would often hold meetings with intellectuals in her house. They discussed the political, social and economic situation of Puerto Rico and the Spanish Empire in general, and proposed solutions to improve the well-being of the people."Mercedes, siglo y medio después" (Spanish)
. Elnuevodia.com (May 29, 2011). Retrieved on 2011-06-20. Simón Bolívar and Brigadier General

Antonio Valero de Bernabé Antonio Vicente Miguel Valero de Bernabé Pacheco (October 26, 1790 – June 7, 1863), a.k.a. The Liberator from Puerto Rico, was a Puerto Rican military leader. Trained in Spain, he fought with the Spanish Army to expel the French leader, Napol ...

, known as "The Liberator from Puerto Rico",Antonio Valero de Bernabé: El Puertorriqueño Libertador de América
. Angelfire.com. Retrieved on June 20, 2011. dreamed of creating a unified Latin America, including Puerto Rico and Cuba. Barbudo was inspired by Bolívar; she supported the idea of independence for the island and learned that Bolívar hoped to establish an American-style federation among all the newly independent republics of Latin America. He also wanted to promote individual rights. She befriended and wrote to many Venezuelan revolutionists, among them José María Rojas, with whom she regularly corresponded. She also received magazines and newspapers from Venezuela which upheld the ideals of Bolívar.

Held without bail or trial

Puerto Rico- Castillo de San Cristóbal-1783

The Spanish authorities in Puerto Rico under Governor Miguel de la Torre were suspicious of the correspondence between Barbudo and the Venezuelan rebel factions. Secret agents of the Spanish Government intercepted some of her mail, delivering it to Governor de la Torre. He ordered an investigation and had her mail confiscated. The Government believed that the correspondence served as propaganda of the Bolívarian ideals and that it would also serve to motivate Puerto Ricans to seek their independence. Governor Miguel de la Torre ordered her arrest on the charge that she planned to overthrow the Spanish Government in Puerto Rico. Barbudo was held without bail at the Castillo (Fort) de San Cristóbal, since the island did not have a prison for women. Among the evidence which the Spanish authorities presented against her was a letter dated October 1, 1824, from Rojas in which he told her that the Venezuelan rebels had lost their principal contact with the Puerto Rican independence movement in the Danish island of Saint Thomas and therefore the secret communication which existed between the Venezuelan rebels and the leaders of the Puerto Rican independence movement was in danger of being discovered.María de las Mercedes Barbudo; Primera mujer independentista de Puerto Rico; CLARIDAD; December 1994; page 19 (Spanish)
. (PDF) . Retrieved on June 20, 2011. On October 22, 1824, Barbudo appeared at a hearing before a magistrate. The Government presented as evidence against her various letters which included five letters from Rojas, two issues of the newspaper ''El Observador Caraqueño''; two copies of the newspaper ''El Cometa'', and one copy each of the newspapers ''El Constitucional Caraqueño'' and ''El Colombiano'', which were sympathetic to Bolívar's ideals. When asked if she recognized the correspondence, she answered in the affirmative and refused to answer any more questions. The government also presented as evidence various anti-monarchy propaganda pamphlets to be distributed throughout the island. Barbudo was found guilty.

Exile and escape to Venezuela

Governor de la Torre consulted with the prosecutor Francisco Marcos Santaella as to what should be done with Barbudo. Santaella suggested that she be exiled from Puerto Rico and sent to Cuba. On October 23, 1824, de la Torre ordered that Barbudo be held under house arrest at the Castillo de San Cristóbal under the custody of Captain Pedro de Loyzaga. The following day Barbudo wrote to the governor, asking to be able to arrange her financial and her personal obligations before being exiled to Cuba. The Governor denied her request and on October 28 she was placed aboard the ship ''El Marinero''. In Cuba, she was held in an institution in which women accused of various crimes were housed. With the help of revolutionary factions, Barbudo escaped and went to Saint Thomas Island. She eventually arrived at

La Guaira La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during ...

in Venezuela where her friend José María Rojas met her. They went to

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in th ...

where she met Bolívar. Barbudo established a close relationship with the members of Bolívar's cabinet which included José María Vargas. He later was elected as the fourth president of Venezuela. She worked closely with the cabinet.

Legacy and honors

Barbudo never married nor had any children and did not return to Puerto Rico. She died on February 17, 1849. She was buried in the Cathedral of Caracas next to Simón Bolívar. Interment in the Cathedral was an honor usually reserved only for the church hierarchy and the very rich. In 1996, a documentary was made about her titled ''Camino sin retorno, el destierro de María de las Mercedes Barbudo'' (Road of no return, the exile of María de las Mercedes Barbudo). It was produced and directed by Sonia Fritz."Camino sin retorno, el destierro de María de las Mercedes Barbudo"
. ''Arteycultura''], Sagrado University, Retrieved on June 20, 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barbudo, Maria De Las Mercedes 1773 births 1849 deaths People from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican people of Spanish descent Puerto Rican nationalists Puerto Rican women in politics Imprisoned Puerto Rican independence activists Puerto Rican independence activists 19th-century Puerto Rican people Female revolutionaries 19th-century businesswomen