María Antonia Santos Plata (10 April 1782–28 June 1819) was a Neogranadine peasant, rebel leader, and heroine. Santos Plata was born in 1782 in the town of Pinchote, in what is now modern-day Colombia. In the late 1810s, she helped galvanize, organize, finance, and lead pro- Bolívar rebel guerrillas from the Province of El Socorro against invading royalist Spanish troops during the Reconquista of the New Granada. Her brother, Fernando Santos Plata, was the commander of the rebels. At her hacienda, rebels and formed two companies of fighters. These rebels pushed back against Spanish invasion and siege, and fought in important battles such as Pantano de Vargas and the monumental

Battle of Boyacá The Battle of Boyacá (1819), also known as the Battle of Boyacá Bridge was a decisive victory by a combined army of Venezuelan and New Granadan troops along with a British Legion led by General Simon Bolivar over the III Division of the Spa ...

. Additionally, Santos Plata and her compatriots allegedly carried out espionage, and smaller-scale guerilla actions. In 1819, she was captured and arrested at her home, the

hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

El Hatillo, alongside her younger brother and her niece. She was subjected to a show trial, and found guilty of lese-majesty and

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

. She was sentenced to death, and executed by

firing squad Firing may refer to: * Dismissal (employment), sudden loss of employment by termination * Firemaking, the act of starting a fire * Burning; see combustion * Shooting, specifically the discharge of firearms * Execution by firing squad, a method of ...

in Socorro's plaza. Ten days after her death, the rebels declared victory and independence. She is regarded to be the foremost example of the women participating in this conflict. A brigade in the Colombian army was named after her.

References

* Pablo Rodríguez, Historia que no cesa : la independencia de Colombia, 1780–1830, Universidad del Rosario, 2010, 313 p. () {{DEFAULTSORT:Santos Plata, Maria Antonia 1782 births 1819 deaths Maria Antonia People from Santander Department 19th-century Colombian people Women in 19th-century warfare Colombian independence activists Executed Colombian people Executed Colombian women 19th-century executions by Spain People executed by Spain by firing squad Women in war in Colombia Viceroyalty of New Granada people