Manuela Díez Jiménez (June 26, 1786 – December 31, 1858) was a key female figure in the forming of the independence of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. She was the mother of

Juan Pablo Duarte Juan Pablo Duarte y Díez (January 26, 1813 – July 15, 1876) was a Dominican military leader, writer, activist, and nationalist politician who was the foremost of the Founding Fathers of the Dominican Republic and bears the title of Father ...

, the founder of the

, or the so-called father of the nation. She greatly supported the rise of the secret society La Trinitaria by hiding its members and organizing meetings, which eventually lead to the liberation of the nation.

Biography

She was born on June 26, 1786, in

El Seibo El Seibo (), alternatively spelt El Seybo, is a province of the Dominican Republic. Before 1992 it included what is now Hato Mayor province. History El Seibo was founded in 1502 by Juan de Esquivel, a notable a Spanish conquistador. The name of ...

, daughter of Antonio Díez, a natural emigrant from Osorno, a town in the province of

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half of ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, and Rufina Jiménez Benítez, a native of Santa Cruz de El Seibo, Dominican Republic. She had three brothers: Antonio, born in El Seibo on March 31, 1788, died in the same city on November 6, 1790; Mariano, born July 2, 1790; José Acupernico, born on September 21, 1791. She married the Spanish merchant Juan José Duarte in 1800, with whom she had the following children: *

Vicente Celestino Duarte Vicente is a Spanish and Portuguese name. Like its French variant, Vincent, it is derived from the Latin name ''Vincentius'' meaning "conquering" (from Latin ''vincere'', "to conquer"). Vicente may refer to: Places *São Vicente, Cape Verde, an i ...

(1802–1865) *María Josefa Duarte (1810–1843) *Manuel (1811–1811) *

(1813–1876), Father of the Nation *Ana María Duarte (1814–1816) *Manuel Duarte (1816–1818) *Philomena Duarte (1818–1865) *

Rosa Duarte Rosa Protomártir Duarte y Díez (June 28, 1820 – October 26, 1888) was a Dominican revolutionary dedicated to the patriotic cause towards Dominican independence. Her contributions to the Dominican Republic are considered by the historian Emil ...

(1820–1888) *Juana Bautista Duarte (1824–1843) *Manuel Amáralos María Duarte (1826–1890) *Maria Francisca Duarte (1831–1889) *Amara Duarte Duarte (1831–1889) She left the island with her family in 1801 due to the invasion of

Toussaint Louverture François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (, ) also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda (20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803), was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louvertu ...

. She was forced to immigrated to Mayaguez,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

. She didn't return until 1809, in which year the

became a

Spanish colony The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It ...

once again. She nurtured and supported the intellectual formation of her sons and daughters, as well as the ideas that gave rise to the birth of the Trinitarios. He endured with fortitude the persecution and surveillance in his home, while her son remained hidden during the conspiracy process that expelled him from the country. Already in 1843, she had to assume the leadership of her household in conflict due to the persecution of the Haitian Government, when she became a widow in November of that year; At that time Juan Pablo Duarte was in foreign exile. At his request, she decided to put the family assets recently inherited from her father at the service of the patriotic cause, which demonstrates the firmness of patriotic ideals and dedication to the cause. Manuela Diez's most joyous moment was when, once her country became independent, she welcomed Juan Pablo Duarte home from exile. On that occasion she accepted

Francisco del Rosario Sánchez Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comm ...

's demand that, despite the recent mourning, the doors of the house, full of people, be opened and a flag be placed in the window. Manuela Diez saw her family and permanent daily life affected by the political activities that took place within her, not as a simple mother who agreed to be supportive of her sons and daughters, but as a militant activity of the ideals that she had contributed to sowing in the heart of the Trinitarian group. Manuela Jiménez supported the rise of the secret society "La Trinitaria" by actively hiding its members and organizing secret meetings. This led to her being persecuted by a raid for her contribution to the political life of her children and their accomplices. On March 3, 1845, she was expelled from the country and she fled from the Dominican Republic by

Pedro Santana Pedro Santana y Familias, 1st Marquess of Las Carreras (June 29, 1801June 14, 1864) was a Dominican soldier and politician who served three times as the president of the First Dominican Republic (1844–1861) and was the first governor-genera ...

's government to

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. She died on December 31, 1858 on in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (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 the northern p ...

Literary appearances

In the poem by Ramón Emilio Jiménez mentions Manuela Díez Jiménez one of the responsible figures for the formation of Juan Pablo Duarte's patriotic character to lead the nation.

Honors

There is a street in

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

, named after her. Moreover, there are more than a few schools in

in which she is named patron and they bear her name. It extends from Albert Thomas, in the capital's María Auxiliadora neighborhood, to Hermanos Pinzón, in Villa Consuelo. Probably the only tribute that the mother of the Father of the Nation has received. In addition to other small streets of lesser importance, such as in the Los Frailes II sector in Santo Domingo Este. Also some schools in various parts of the Dominican Republic.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diez Jimenez, Manuela 1786 births 1858 deaths People from El Seibo Province People of the Dominican War of Independence Women in the Dominican War of Independence Dominican Republic people of Spanish descent Dominican Republic expatriates in Puerto Rico Dominican Republic expatriates in Venezuela Dominican Republic independence activists Dominican Republic Roman Catholics White Dominicans

Biography

Literary appearances

Honors

See also

References