Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi
Encyclopedia
María Luisa Cáceres Díaz de Arismendi (September 25, 1799 – June 28, 1866) was a heroine of the Venezuelan War of Independence
.
. On her father's side, she was of Canarian
descent. She was baptized in the Church of Santa Rosalía, in Caracas. Her father was an intellectual, an historian and a professor of Latin
. Educated by her father, Luisa learned how to read and write, and developed a love for her country. While Luisa was a young girl focussing on her studies, Spain
was taken over by Napoleon
, who installed his brother, Joseph
, as its king. People not just in Spain, but in its colonies
as well, were infuriated, and a war for Spain's independence
broke out. In Venezuela, Spanish colonists saw this as an opportunity to break away from Spain while it was weak, and gain independence, and so a series of uprisings occurred. They were led by the Venezuelan marshal
Francisco de Miranda
, who had been involved in the French Revolution
and the American Revolutionary War
. Venezuela declared itself independent from Spain on July 5, 1811. This triggered the war for Venezuela's independence. In 1812, an enormous earthquake struck Caracas
, where Luisa and her family were living, completely destroying the city. Because of this earthquake and a rebellion by the Venezuelan Llaneros and Canarians, the First Republic of Venezuela was toppled. A second Venezuelan republic was proclaimed on August 7, 1813, but lasted only a few months before it, too, was crushed.
On Christmas Eve
1813, Luisa met the General Juan Bautista Arismendi
, a scion of the illustrious Arismendi family, who was impressed by her wit. On March 6, 1814, the royalist troops of Francisco Rosete attacked Ocumare, killing her father, who was visiting his friend, Commandant Juan José Toro. Juan Bautista Arismendi organized an expedition to Ocumare, to rescue imprisoned patriots; Luisa's brother, Félix, joined the expeditionary force but was captured and, a few days later, executed . José Tomás Boves
forced the patriot troops to abandon the Plaza de Caracas. The retreat (known in Venezuela as the Migration to the East)was led by Simón Bolívar
and José Félix Ribas
. Luisa's family decided to emigrate to Isla Margarita
, where Arismendi offered security. During the trip, four of her aunts died, and only she, her mother, and her younger brother survived. The emigrants passed through the cities of Barcelona and Cumaná
, which was taken over by Boves.
In Margarita, Arismendi located the Cáceres family, whom he had known for some time and provided them with clothing, housing, and other necessities. He and Luisa married on December 4, 1814, in La Asunción
, when he was thirty-nine years of age and she just fifteen. In 1815, Juan was made provisional governor of Margarita, at the same time Pablo Morillo
, a royalist general, with a squad that had never been seen of the coast of Venezuela. In September, the Spanish ordered the apprehension of Juan, who consequently sought refuge in the mountains of Copey. On September 24, the pregnant Luisa was captured by the Spanish in order to exert pressure on her husband. She was kept under house arrest at the residence of the Amnés family, but was later transferred to a dungeon in the Fortress of Santa Rosa.
It was in that dark dungeon that Luisa began to be harassed and abused by the Spanish soldiers. She was under strict surveillance, and given poor food, and began to experience malnutrition. She spent many days and nights without much movement, so that she wouldn't call the attention of her jailer. However, the chaplain began to feel for her, and started bringing her better food , and even lit up the cell so she could have some light. On January 26, 1816, Luisa gave birth to a daughter; however the baby died quickly after birth, due to the poor conditions her mother was in during her last few months of pregnancy.
In 1815, she was detained by the Spanish authorities with the purpose of pressing her husband Arismendi, who was by then battling a fierce campaign against the Royal Spanish forces. However, the island's governor, Joaquín Urreiztieta, did not obtain anything from her and her husband which means that Luisa stayed imprisoned in Santa Rosa fortress –where she delivered a baby girl who died at childbirth– until she was transferred to the Pampatar fortress, afterwards to La Guaira
and finally she was sent to Spain (1816), where she was also victim of tortures to make her relinquish her republican ideals. The brigadier generals, Juan Bautista Pardo and Salvador Moxó ordered Luisa to be transferred to the Castillo San Carlos de Borromeo in Pampatar
. Then she was sent to a prison in La Guaira
, and then to El Convento de la Inmaculada Concepción, a convent
in Caracas. Throughout the entire time of her confinement, she had been unable to communicate with any family or friends.
, the brigadier, Moxó, ordered Luisa to be sent all the way to Cádiz
, in Spain
. She was returned to La Guaira on November 24, 1816, from where she embarked on December 3. On the way, the ship she was on was attacked by privateer
vessel, and she and other passengers were stranded on Santa Maria Island
, located in the Azores
. Luisa finally arrived at Cádiz on January 17, 1817. She was presented to the captain general
of Andalusia
. He protested against the arbitrary decision of the Spanish authorities in the Americas, and gave Luisa the category of being confined. He gave Luisa a pension of 10 reales a day, and is given protection by the doctor José María Morón and his wife, Concepción Pepet. They paid a deposit and agreed to present her monthly before a judge.
During her time at Cádiz, Luisa refused to sign a document stating her loyalty to the king of Spain, and denying her affiliation as a patriot of Venezuela; she never abandoned her independentist ideals. She still had no news of either her mother or her husband. In March 1818, Lieutenant Francisco Carabaña and an Englishman
, Mr. Tottem, offered to help Luisa get back to the Americas. As they planned her escape, Luisa promised that her husband would pay all the expenses in the end. Luisa said her goodbyes to the Morón family, and headed to the United States of America on a frigate
.
On May 3, 1818, Luisa arrived at the city of Philadelphia. There, she met the family of the patriotic general Lino Clemente, who had moved to the United States. They provieded her with hospitality and friendship, just as the Morón family had in Spain. Colonel
Luis Rieux, sent by Luisa's husband, went to Philadelphia to transfer her to Margarita. They arrived on July 26, 1818. Subsequently, on September 19, 1819, the Council of the Indies dictated a resolution by means of which Luisa was granted absolute liberty to choose her residence. She went on to have a total of eleven children. She continued to support the ideas of freedom and sovereignty of the people of the Americas. She lived in the city of Caracas until her death in 1866.
Venezuelan War of Independence
-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...
.
The beginning of the war
Luisa was born in Caracas, Venezuela, to José Domingo Cáceres and Carmen Díaz, prosperous CriollosCriollo people
The Criollo class ranked below that of the Iberian Peninsulares, the high-born permanent residence colonists born in Spain. But Criollos were higher status/rank than all other castes—people of mixed descent, Amerindians, and enslaved Africans...
. On her father's side, she was of Canarian
Canarian people
The Canarians are an ethnic group living in the archipelago of the Canary Islands , near the coast of Western Africa...
descent. She was baptized in the Church of Santa Rosalía, in Caracas. Her father was an intellectual, an historian and a professor of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. Educated by her father, Luisa learned how to read and write, and developed a love for her country. While Luisa was a young girl focussing on her studies, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
was taken over by Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, who installed his brother, Joseph
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
, as its king. People not just in Spain, but in its colonies
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
as well, were infuriated, and a war for Spain's independence
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
broke out. In Venezuela, Spanish colonists saw this as an opportunity to break away from Spain while it was weak, and gain independence, and so a series of uprisings occurred. They were led by the Venezuelan marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
Francisco de Miranda
Francisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda Ravelo y Rodríguez de Espinoza , commonly known as Francisco de Miranda , was a Venezuelan revolutionary...
, who had been involved in the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Venezuela declared itself independent from Spain on July 5, 1811. This triggered the war for Venezuela's independence. In 1812, an enormous earthquake struck Caracas
1812 Caracas earthquake
The 1812 Caracas earthquake took place in Venezuela on March 26, 1812 at 4:37 p.m. It measured 7.7 on the Richter magnitude scale. It caused extensive damage in Caracas, La Guaira, Barquisimeto, San Felipe, and Mérida...
, where Luisa and her family were living, completely destroying the city. Because of this earthquake and a rebellion by the Venezuelan Llaneros and Canarians, the First Republic of Venezuela was toppled. A second Venezuelan republic was proclaimed on August 7, 1813, but lasted only a few months before it, too, was crushed.
On Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
1813, Luisa met the General Juan Bautista Arismendi
Juan Bautista Arismendi
Juan Bautista Arismendi was a Venezuelan patriot and general of the Venezuelan War of Independence. He is buried in the National Pantheon of Venezuela.Arismendi was born in Isla Margarita in 1775...
, a scion of the illustrious Arismendi family, who was impressed by her wit. On March 6, 1814, the royalist troops of Francisco Rosete attacked Ocumare, killing her father, who was visiting his friend, Commandant Juan José Toro. Juan Bautista Arismendi organized an expedition to Ocumare, to rescue imprisoned patriots; Luisa's brother, Félix, joined the expeditionary force but was captured and, a few days later, executed . José Tomás Boves
José Tomás Boves
José Tomás Boves , royalist caudillo of the llanos during the Venezuelan War of Independence, particularly remembered for his use of brutality and atrocities against those who supported Venezuelan independence...
forced the patriot troops to abandon the Plaza de Caracas. The retreat (known in Venezuela as the Migration to the East)was led by Simón Bolívar
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios Ponte y Yeiter, commonly known as Simón Bolívar was a Venezuelan military and political leader...
and José Félix Ribas
José Félix Ribas
José Félix Ribas , was a Venezuelan independence leader and hero of the Venezuelan War of Independence.-Early life:Ribas was the last of eleven sons, born to a prominent Caracas family. In his early years, he received a quality education and attended the city's seminary. After finishing his...
. Luisa's family decided to emigrate to Isla Margarita
Isla Margarita
Margarita Island is the largest island of the state of Nueva Esparta in Venezuela, situated in the Caribbean Sea, off the northeastern coast of the country. The state also contains two other smaller islands: Coche and Cubagua. The capital city of Nueva Esparta is La Asunción, located in a river...
, where Arismendi offered security. During the trip, four of her aunts died, and only she, her mother, and her younger brother survived. The emigrants passed through the cities of Barcelona and Cumaná
Cumaná
Cumaná is the capital of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located 402 km east of Caracas. It was the first settlement founded by Europeans in the mainland America, in 1501 by Franciscan friars, but due to successful attacks by the indigenous people, it had to be refounded several times...
, which was taken over by Boves.
In Margarita, Arismendi located the Cáceres family, whom he had known for some time and provided them with clothing, housing, and other necessities. He and Luisa married on December 4, 1814, in La Asunción
La Asunción
La Asunción is a city in Venezuela. The capital of Nueva Esparta state, it lies on the Isla Margarita in the Caribbean Sea, off the South American mainland.Owing to its settlement by Spain in 1524, many colonial buildings still remain....
, when he was thirty-nine years of age and she just fifteen. In 1815, Juan was made provisional governor of Margarita, at the same time Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo y Morillo, Count of Cartagena and Marquess of La Puerta, aka El Pacificador was a Spanish general....
, a royalist general, with a squad that had never been seen of the coast of Venezuela. In September, the Spanish ordered the apprehension of Juan, who consequently sought refuge in the mountains of Copey. On September 24, the pregnant Luisa was captured by the Spanish in order to exert pressure on her husband. She was kept under house arrest at the residence of the Amnés family, but was later transferred to a dungeon in the Fortress of Santa Rosa.
Imprisonment
In 1815, she was detained by the Spanish authorities with the purpose of pressing her husband Arismendi, who was by then battling a fierce campaign against the Royal Spanish forces. However, the island's governor, Joaquín Urreiztieta, did not obtain anything from her and her husband which means that Luisa stayed imprisoned in Santa Rosa fortress –where she delivered a baby girl who died at childbirth– until she was transferred to the Pampatar fortress, afterwards to La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
and finally she was sent to Spain (1816), where she was also victim of tortures to make her relinquish her republican ideals. The brigadier generals, Juan Bautista Pardo and Salvador Moxó ordered Luisa to be transferred to the Castillo San Carlos de Borromeo in Pampatar
Pampatar
Pampatar is a city on Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta State, Venezuela. It is located at around .Pampatar lies 10 km northeast of Porlamar....
. Then she was sent to a prison in La Guaira
La Guaira
La Guaira is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of Vargas and the country's chief port. It was founded in 1577 as an outlet for Caracas, to the southeast. The town and the port were badly damaged during the December 1999 floods and mudslides that affected much of the region...
, and then to El Convento de la Inmaculada Concepción, a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
in Caracas. Throughout the entire time of her confinement, she had been unable to communicate with any family or friends.
Leaving the Country
Due to the victories of the republican army, led by her husband in Margarita and the general José Antonio Páez in ApureApure
Apure State is one of the 23 states into which Venezuela is divided. Its territory formed part of the provinces of Mérida, Maracaibo, and Barinas, in accordance with successive territorial ordinations pronounced by the colonial authorities. In 1824 the Department of Apure was created, under...
, the brigadier, Moxó, ordered Luisa to be sent all the way to Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
, in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. She was returned to La Guaira on November 24, 1816, from where she embarked on December 3. On the way, the ship she was on was attacked by privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
vessel, and she and other passengers were stranded on Santa Maria Island
Santa Maria Island
Santa Maria , Portuguese for Saint Mary, is an island located in the eastern group of the Azores archipelago and the southernmost island in the Azores...
, located in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
. Luisa finally arrived at Cádiz on January 17, 1817. She was presented to the captain general
Captain General
Captain general is a high military rank and a gubernatorial title.-History:This term Captain General started to appear in the 14th century, with the meaning of commander in chief of an army in the field, probably the first usage of the term General in military settings...
of Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
. He protested against the arbitrary decision of the Spanish authorities in the Americas, and gave Luisa the category of being confined. He gave Luisa a pension of 10 reales a day, and is given protection by the doctor José María Morón and his wife, Concepción Pepet. They paid a deposit and agreed to present her monthly before a judge.
During her time at Cádiz, Luisa refused to sign a document stating her loyalty to the king of Spain, and denying her affiliation as a patriot of Venezuela; she never abandoned her independentist ideals. She still had no news of either her mother or her husband. In March 1818, Lieutenant Francisco Carabaña and an Englishman
Englishman
Englishman may refer to:*English people*Grey Partridge*Jason Englishman, Canadian rock music singer and guitarist*Jenny-Bea Englishman, real name of the Canadien singer Esthero*Erald Briscoe, reggae musician who records under the name Englishman...
, Mr. Tottem, offered to help Luisa get back to the Americas. As they planned her escape, Luisa promised that her husband would pay all the expenses in the end. Luisa said her goodbyes to the Morón family, and headed to the United States of America on a frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
.
On May 3, 1818, Luisa arrived at the city of Philadelphia. There, she met the family of the patriotic general Lino Clemente, who had moved to the United States. They provieded her with hospitality and friendship, just as the Morón family had in Spain. Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Luis Rieux, sent by Luisa's husband, went to Philadelphia to transfer her to Margarita. They arrived on July 26, 1818. Subsequently, on September 19, 1819, the Council of the Indies dictated a resolution by means of which Luisa was granted absolute liberty to choose her residence. She went on to have a total of eleven children. She continued to support the ideas of freedom and sovereignty of the people of the Americas. She lived in the city of Caracas until her death in 1866.
Honors
- In recognition of her loyalty and fight for the independence of Venezuela, her remains were entombed in the Panteón NacionalPanteón NacionalThe Panthéon is a building in the northern edge of the old town of Caracas, Venezuela. It was originally built as a church, but is now used as a famous burial place...
in 1876; she was the first woman to be given this honor.
- A statue of her was erected in a plaza, named after her, in the small town of La Asunción, where she was married.
- Today, in Caracas, there is the University Institute Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi.
- She is pictured on the 20 Bolivar Fuerte banknote, which was introduced by Hugo ChávezHugo ChávezHugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
on January 1, 2008.
See also
- VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
- Isla MargaritaIsla MargaritaMargarita Island is the largest island of the state of Nueva Esparta in Venezuela, situated in the Caribbean Sea, off the northeastern coast of the country. The state also contains two other smaller islands: Coche and Cubagua. The capital city of Nueva Esparta is La Asunción, located in a river...
- History of VenezuelaHistory of VenezuelaThis article discusses the history of Venezuela. See also the history of South America.-Pre-Columbian period:Archeologists have discovered evidence of the earliest known inhabitants of the Venezuelan area in the form of leaf-shaped flake tools, together with chopping and plano–convex scraping...
- Venezuelan War of IndependenceVenezuelan War of Independence-The First Republic:Criollos resented the mercantilist policies of Spain. Trade was only allowed in Pacific ports which was a terrible burden for Argentina, Paraguay and the Caribbean colonies. This is significant as Cuba and Puerto Rico were forced to allow free trade in 1763 by Britain and...
External links
- Venezuela Tuya (Spanish)
- Mi Punto (Spanish)