Gertrudis Bocanegra
Encyclopedia
María Gertrudis Bocanegra de Mendoza de Lazo de la Vega (April 11, 1765, Pátzcuaro
, Michoacán
, New Spain
—October 11, 1817, Pátzcuaro) was a woman who fought in the Mexican War of Independence
. She was arrested, tortured and executed in 1817.
Bocanegra was born in 1765 to prosperous Spanish parents in what is now the Mexican state of Michoacán. She married Lieutenant Pedro Advícula de la Vega, a soldier in the Spanish provincial forces of Michoacán. Unusually for a woman of her time, Bocanegra had read the principal authors of the Age of Enlightenment
. When Mexico's War of Independence began, she was quick to take sides. She served as a messenger for the insurgents in the region of Pátzcuaro and Tacámbaro, helping to form a communications network between the principal locations of the rebellion. Her husband and one of her sons joined the forces of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla when the insurgents passed through Valladolid (now Morelia
) in October 1810. Both of them died in the war.
During the guerrilla war, she was sent to Pátzcuaro to aid the rebels in the capture of the city. However, she was betrayed and taken prisoner by the royal army in 1817. She was subjected to torture to get her to reveal the names of other rebels, but she refused to give information to the Spaniards. Finally she was tried and found guilty of treason.
She was sentenced to death, and the sentence was carried out October 11, 1817 in Pátzcuaro, where she had been born 52 years before. Facing the firing squad, she harangued her executioners before she was shot.
She is known in Mexico as La Heroína de Pátzcuaro. A plaza was named in her honor in that city, and a bronze statue was erected of her.
A 1992 Mexican movie was made about her life .
Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center...
, Michoacán
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
—October 11, 1817, Pátzcuaro) was a woman who fought in the Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
. She was arrested, tortured and executed in 1817.
Bocanegra was born in 1765 to prosperous Spanish parents in what is now the Mexican state of Michoacán. She married Lieutenant Pedro Advícula de la Vega, a soldier in the Spanish provincial forces of Michoacán. Unusually for a woman of her time, Bocanegra had read the principal authors of the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
. When Mexico's War of Independence began, she was quick to take sides. She served as a messenger for the insurgents in the region of Pátzcuaro and Tacámbaro, helping to form a communications network between the principal locations of the rebellion. Her husband and one of her sons joined the forces of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla when the insurgents passed through Valladolid (now Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
) in October 1810. Both of them died in the war.
During the guerrilla war, she was sent to Pátzcuaro to aid the rebels in the capture of the city. However, she was betrayed and taken prisoner by the royal army in 1817. She was subjected to torture to get her to reveal the names of other rebels, but she refused to give information to the Spaniards. Finally she was tried and found guilty of treason.
She was sentenced to death, and the sentence was carried out October 11, 1817 in Pátzcuaro, where she had been born 52 years before. Facing the firing squad, she harangued her executioners before she was shot.
She is known in Mexico as La Heroína de Pátzcuaro. A plaza was named in her honor in that city, and a bronze statue was erected of her.
A 1992 Mexican movie was made about her life .