María Paula Acevedo Guzmán, known as Chichita and Chichita Caamaño, (June 30, 1932 – January 7, 2021) was a Dominican activist and

First Lady of the Dominican Republic First Lady of the Dominican Republic () is the title referring to the wife, or designee, of the president of the Dominican Republic. The official government Office of the First Lady was created by Decree 741-00 on September 10, 2000. The positio ...

from May 4, 1965, to August 30, 1965. Acevedo was the wife of Colonel

Francisco Caamaño Col. Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó (June 11, 1932 – February 16, 1973) was a Dominican soldier and politician who took the constitutional presidency of the Dominican Republic during the Civil War of 1965. During the war, which began ...

, who became the constitutional

President of the Dominican Republic The president of the Dominican Republic () is both the head of state and head of government of the Dominican Republic. The presidential system was established in 1844, following the proclamation of the republic during the Dominican War of In ...

during the

Dominican Civil War The Dominican Civil War (), also known as the April Revolution (), took place between April 24, 1965, and September 3, 1965, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It started when civilian and military supporters of the overthrown democraticall ...

of 1965. Caamaño was one of the leaders of the movement to restore the democratically elected former president, Juan Bosch, who had been overthrown in a military coup d'état in September 1963.

Biography

Acevedo was born in the city of

San Pedro de Macorís San Pedro de Macorís is a city and municipality (''municipio'') in the Dominican Republic. The capital of its eponymous province in the east region of the country, it is among the ten largest cities of the Dominican Republic. The city has approx ...

on June 30, 1932. Her parents were Fernando Acevedo and María Guzmán. She was raised in San Pedro de Macorís and attended several of the city's schools, including the José Trujillo Valdez, Gastón Fernando Deligne and José Joaquín Pérez schools. She met her future husband, a

Dominican Navy The Navy of the Dominican Republic (), is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Dominican Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force. History After the Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti on February 27 ...

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

named

, when she was 18 years old. The couple dated for several years and married in 1958 when she was 26. They had three children - Alberto Alexander, Francis Alexander and Paola Alexandra (born 1967). The family lived in a home on Pedro Livio Cedeño Avenue until the outbreak of the

April Revolution The April Revolution (), also called the April 19 Revolution or April 19 Movement, were mass protests in South Korea against President Syngman Rhee and the First Republic from April 11 to 26, 1960, which led to Rhee's resignation. Protests ...

and

on April 24, 1965. On April 24, 1965, Acevedo received a phone call summoning her husband, Colonel Francisco Caamaño, who quickly left to join the unfolding Constitutionalists-led

against the military triumvirate government of President

Donald Reid Cabral Joseph Donald Reid Cabral (June 9, 1923 – July 22, 2006) was a Dominican politician and lawyer. Reid became president during the "triumvirate" from December 28, 1963 to April 25, 1965. Biography Donald Reid Cabral was born in Santiago de ...

and General Elías Wessin y Wessin. Fearing for her family's safety, Acevedo took her two children and fled to a friend's home, never to return to their original home on Pedro Livio Cedeño Avenue. Two days later on April 26, 1965, Caamaño and his allies, fearing kidnapping plot, whisked Acevedo and her two children to the Embassy of

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

in Santo Domingo for their security (along with the family members of Colonel Manuel Ramón Montes Arache, a Caamaño ally). Acevedo, who remained in hiding at the Argentine embassy, found out that she would be the new First Lady on May 3, 1965, when the

Congress of the Dominican Republic The Congress of the Dominican Republic () is the bicameral legislature of the government of the Dominican Republic, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. Both senators and deputies are chosen through direct election. T ...

, led by Constitucionalistas loyal to former President Juan Bosch, elected Caamaño as the new, acting president of the Dominican Republic. Her husband was sworn in on May 4, 1965, and Acevedo, who was 32-years old at the time, became first lady following a presidential inauguration ceremony in Independencia Park in Santo Domingo. A few days after the inauguration, President Francisco Caamaño moved his family from the Argentine embassy to a new, heavily guarded residence located on the corner of Sánchez and Mercedes streets in the

Ciudad Colonial Ciudad Colonial (; ) is the historic central neighborhood of the Dominican Republic's capital Santo Domingo. It is the oldest continuously inhabited European-established settlement in the Americas. The area has been declared a World Heritage Sit ...

, where they lived for the remainder of his presidency and the civil war. Acevedo, or Chichita Caamaño as she was known, took up the role of First Lady of the Dominican Republic, which was overshadowed by the ongoing Dominican Civil War and the political crisis. She visited the Padre Billini hospital and the Abel González clinic to meet with wounded patients during the war. She was known to pray for an end to the conflict at the Basilica Cathedral of Santa María la Menor. Following United States intervention and several months of attacks, Francisco Caamaño accepted an agreement to step down from office on August 30, 1965. An agreement was signed, ending the Dominican Civil War on September 3, 1965. As part of the truce, the new provisional president, Héctor García-Godoy, sent Colonel Francisco Caamaño out of the country to become a

military attache A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily Weapon, armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable ...

at the Embassy of the Dominican Republic in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on January 22, 1966. María Paula Acevedo Guzmán also moved to London with her husband and their two children. She gave birth to their third child, a daughter named Paola, in 1967. Francisco Caamaño was executed in 1973. María Paula Acevedo Guzmán died on January 7, 2021, at the age of 87 following several years of declining health. Her funeral and viewing were held at the Blandino funeral home on Abraham Lincoln Avenue in Santo Domingo on January 8, 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acevedo Guzmán, Maria Paula 1932 births 2021 deaths First ladies of the Dominican Republic Dominican Republic expatriates in the United Kingdom People from San Pedro de Macorís