Mariana Bracetti

the flag of the revolution

Mariana Bracetti (* 1825 in Añasco, Puerto Rico, 1903 in Añasco, Puerto Rico) was a Puerto Rican freedom fighter who campaigned for the independence of the island. Edit LifeQualtext

After a failed first marriage, she met the rich businessman Miguel Rojas, who, together with his brother Manuel Rojas, owned the coffee Plantage "El Triunfo". Bracetti married Rojas, got with him offspring and moved to the hacienda.

Manuel and Miguel Rojas were great admirers of Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances, who fought for the independence of Puerto Rico. "El Triunfo" became the secret nucleus of the revolution and the brothers became the leaders of the revolutionary cell with the code "Centro Bravo". Bracetti was nicknamed "Brazo de Oro" (Golden Arm) and was appointed leader of the Revolutionary Council of Lares. On behalf of Betances, she designed and sewed the first flag of the future "Republic of Puerto Rico". The flag consisted of two blue squares at the top and two red squares at the bottom, which were separated by a white cross; in the upper left was a white star.

The revolt of Grito de Lares took place in 1868. After the capture of the city of Lares, the revolutionary Bracettis flag placed on the high altar of Parroquial Church to proclaim the Republic of Puerto Rico.

The revolution failed, however, and all surviving rebels, including Bracetti, were arrested in Arecibo. Eighty prisoners died in prison, but Bracetti survived and was released on January 20, 1869, for a general amnesty granted by the new Spanish government.

She died in 1903 in her hometown Añasco. Above her grave in the plaza of the city stands a monument to her honor. Puerto Rico also has several schools and streets named after it. In the US there is a Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School in Philadelphia and a Mariana Bracetti Plaza in New York City. Weblinks Edit sourcetext

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