Manuel Rojas (independence leader)

Manuel Rojas
Drawing of Manuel Rojas
Born	1820 Caracas, Venezuela
Died	18?? Venezuela
Allegiance	Puerto Rico
Service/branch	"Revolution Committee of Puerto Rico"
Rank	Commander
Commands held	Puerto Rican Liberation Army
Battles/wars	El Grito de Lares

Commander Manuel Rojas (1820 – 18??), Commander of the Puerto Rican Liberation Army, was one of the main leaders of the Grito de Lares uprising against Spanish rule in Puerto Rico.

Early years

Rojas was born in Caracas, Venezuela, from a Puerto Rican father and a Venezuelan mother. In the early 19th century Venezuela's economy was in turmoil because of internal wars. The Rojas family moved to Puerto Rico and settled down, close to the town of Lares. Rojas grew up in a region which was mountainous and whose main income came from the coffee crop. Rojas and his brother, Miguel eventually bought and cultivated a 300 acre (1.2 km²) coffee plantation. The successful plantation was called "El Triunfo", and both men became wealthy merchants.^[1] His brother Miguel meet Mariana Bracetti while on a business trip to Añasco. Miguel and Mariana married and moved to "El Triunfo" where the Rojas lived.^[2]

Puerto Rico's independence movement

Manuel Rojas house in 1965

Rojas admired Puerto Rican independence advocate Ramón Emeterio Betances and together with his brother Miguel, joined Betances in his quest for Puerto Rico's independence. A "Revolution Committee of Puerto Rico" was formed and directed by Betances and Segundo Ruiz Belvis, who were exiled, from the Dominican Republic. Several revolutionary cells were formed in the towns and cities in the western part of the island. They were to support the armed invasion that Betances had planned to bring from the Dominican Republic.^[1]

Two of the most important cells were that of Mayagüez, whose leader was Mathias Brugman and code named "Capa Prieto" and that of Lares, code named "Centro Bravo" and headed by Manuel Rojas. "Centro Bravo" was the main center of operations and was located in the Rojas plantation. Manuel Rojas was named "Commander of the Liberation Army" by Betances. Mariana Bracetti (wife of Miguel) was named "Leader of the Lares Revolutionary Council". Upon the request of Betances, Bracetti knitted the revolutionary Flag of Lares known as "La Bandera de Lares".^[2]

The Spanish authorities found out about the plot and were able to confiscate the armed ship which Betances had, before it arrived in Puerto Rico. The Mayor of the town of Camuy, Manuel González (whom also happened to be the leader of that town's revolutionary cell) was arrested and charged with treason. He was able to hear that the Spanish Army was aware of the independence plot. He then escaped and was able to warn Manuel Rojas.^[1]

El Grito de Lares

Original Revolutionary Flag of Lares

Because of this event, the revolutionists decided to start the revolution as soon as possible and set the date for September 23, 1868. Mathias Brugman and his men joined up with Manuel Rojas's men and with about 800 men and women, marched and took the town of Lares in what is known as "El Grito de Lares". The revolutionists entered the town's church and placed the revolutionary flag knitted by Bracetii on the High Altar as a sign that the revolution had begun. They declared Puerto Rico to be the "Republic of Puerto Rico" and named Francisco Ramírez Medina President of the Republic of Puerto Rico.^[2]

Rojas and his poorly armed followers proceeded to march on to the town of San Sebastián, armed only with clubs and machetes. The Spanish Army had been forewarned and were waiting for them with superior fire power. When the revolutionists arrived, they were met with deadly fire.^[1]

The revolt failed and many of the revolutionists were killed and at least 475 including, Manuel Rojas and Mariana Bracetii were imprisoned in the jail of Arecibo and sentenced to death. Some of them fled and went into hiding. Mathias Brugman was hiding in a local farm when a farm hand by the name of Francisco Quiñones, betrayed him and led the Spanish Authorities to Brugman's hiding place. He was executed on the spot.^[2]

Aftermath

He was arrested that October and sentenced to death by a court-martial, but upon orders from the new Republican Spanish Government, the incoming governor of Puerto Rico, Jose Sanz, granted a general amnesty to all those imprisoned, effective on September 20, 1869. Manuel Rojas along with some of the other men involved in the revolution were sent into exile.^[3] Little is known about what happened to Manuel Rojas after he went into exile except that he died in Venezuela.^[2] On December 25, 2002, the Government of Puerto Rico approved Public Law #291, which instructed the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture to study the possibility of transferring the remains of Manuel Rojas, considered by many to be among Puerto Rico's greatest independence leaders, to Puerto Rico.^[4]

See also

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biography portal

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• List of Puerto Rican military personnel
• For the Chilean footballer, see Manuel Antonio Rojas.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Manuel Rojas
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} Search of a National Identity: Nineteeth- and Early-Twentieth-Century Puerto Rico
3. ^ Puerto Rico Encyclopedia
4. ^ Ley Núm. 291 del año 2002 (Spanish)

External links

• Manuel Rojas

Persondata
Name	Rojas, Manuel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1820
Place of birth	Caracas, Venezuela
Date of death
Place of death	Venezuela