Policarpa Salavarrieta
Encyclopedia
Policarpa Salavarrieta also known as La Pola, was a Neogranadine
seamstress who spied
for the Revolutionary Forces during the Spanish
Reconquista
of the Viceroyalty of New Granada
. She was captured by Spanish Royalists and ultimately executed for high treason
. She is now considered a heroine of the independence of Colombia
.
Because her birth certificate
was never found, her legal given name
is unknown. The name Salavarrieta is known only by the names her family and friends used. Her father referred to her as Apolonia in his will
, which Salvador Contreras, the priest
who formalized the testament on December 13, 1802, confirmed. Her brother Viviano, who was closest to her because when her parents died she was the one who took care of her. La Pola started being called Policarpa, when the armed forces in Guaduas started looking for.
In her 1817 forged passport
, used to get in and out of Bogotá
during the Reconquista
, she appeared as Gregoria Apolinaria. Andrea Ricaurte de Lozano, whom Policarpa lived with, and officially worked for in Bogotá
, as well as Ambrosio Almeyda, a guerrilla leader to whom she supplied information, also called her by that name. Her contemporaries referred to her simply as La Pola, but Policarpa Salavarrieta is the name by which she is remembered and commemorated.
of Guaduas
, Cundinamarca
, between 1790 and 1796. However Rafael Pombo
affirmed that she had been born in Mariquita, while José Caicedo Rojas confirmed it as Bogotá
.
Her date and place of birth can be surmised from information available about her siblings which, curiously enough, were not lost.
Her siblings were:
Judging by these family records and the fact that Policarpa was born between her two religious brothers, she would appear to have been born between 1791 and 1796. The records also seem to indicate that the Salavarrieta family lived in Guaduas and moved to Bogotá
after Manuel was born in 1796.
In an attempt to reconcile the discrepancies the Colombian Academy of History gave its final ruling on September 10, 1991, in favour of Guaduas
, Cundinamarca
, as Policarpa's birthplace.
class, Policarpa's family were apparently respectable and well-off, judging by her childhood home in Guaduas
, now a museum. The Salavarrieta Ríos family moved to Bogotá
between 1796–1798, living in a small house in the Santa Bárbara neighbourhood.
In 1802 a smallpox
epidemic
broke out in the capital, killing thousands, including Policarpa’s father, mother, brother Eduardo and sister María Ignacia. After the tragedy, the family fell apart: José María and Manuel joining the Augustinian order, Ramón and Francisco Antonio traveled to Tena
where they found work on a farm. Catarina, the oldest surviving child, decided to move back to Guaduas around 1804, taking her younger siblings Policarpa and Bibiano with her. They lived in the houses of their godmother
Margarita Beltrán and their aunt Manuela until Catarina married Domingo García, again taking her two siblings with her.
There is little information about this period in Policarpa's life. What is known is that she worked as a seamstress, and is also believed to have worked as a teacher in a public school.
At that time Guaduas was an important rest stop on the most important road through New Granada, a stretch of land from Bogotá to the Magdalena River
communicating with the north of the country and out to the Caribbean Sea
: soldiers, nobles, artisans, farmers, insurgents, Spaniards and Grenadines of all walks of life passed through Guaduas, making it both a centre of commerce and of news and information. During the war, Policarpa's family were involved on the Revolutionary side: her brother-in-law, Domingo García, died fighting alongside Antonio Nariño
in the Southern Campaign, in which her brother Bibiano also fought.
According to legend, after the Revolution broke out, the Viceroy
Antonio José Amar y Borbón
and his wife María Francisca Villanová, fearing for their lives, were smuggled out of Bogotá by the mayor José Miguel Pey de Andrade
. They stopped in Guaduas, where the Vicereine, María Francisca Villanová, is supposed to have gone to Policarpa's house and foretold her imminent destiny and death.
, where most of the population were Spanish Royalists and approved of the take over by Pablo Morillo
, it was very difficult to get in and out of the city. Policarpa and her brother Bibiano entered the capital with forged documents and safeguards, and a letter of introduction written by Ambrosio Almeyda and José Rodríguez, two Revolutionary leaders; they recommended she and her brother stay in the house of Andrea Ricaurte y Lozano under cover of working as her servants. In reality Andrea Ricaurte's home was the centre of intelligence gathering and resistance in the capital.
In Guaduas, Policarpa was known as a revolutionary. Because she was not known in Bogotá
, she could move freely and meet with other patriots and spies unsuspected. She could also infiltrate the homes of the Royalists. Offering her services as a seamstress to the wives and daughters of royalists and officers, Policarpa altered and mended for them and their families; at the same time she overheard conversations, collected maps and intelligence on their plans and activities, identified who the major Royalists were, and found out who were suspected of being revolutionaries.
Policarpa also secretly recruited
young men to the Revolutionary cause; with assistance from her brother. Together, they helped increase the number of soldiers the insurgency in Cundinamarca desperately needed.
. Their information directly linked La Pola to the Revolution. The Almeyda brothers and La Pola were implicated in helping soldiers desert
the Royal Army and join the Revolution; transporting weapons, ammunitions and supplies to the insurgents; in helping the Almeydas escape from prison when they were captured in September of the same year, and finding them refuge in Machetá
. They had hoped their connection with La Pola could come in handy in the event of a revolt in the city. The Royalists now suspected her of treason, but lacked solid evidence to accuse a seamstress of espionage and treason.
The arrest of Alejo Sabaraín while he was trying to escape to Casanare
was the event that allowed the royalists to arrest La Pola; he was apprehended with a list of Royalist and Patriots given to him by Policarpa.
Sergeant Iglesias, the principal Spanish
officer in Bogotá, was charged with finding and arresting her. Policarpa Salavarrieta and her brother Bibiano were both arrested at the house of Andrea Ricaurte y Lozano and taken to the Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, which had been turned into a makeshift prison.
and on November 10, Policarpa, Alejo, and six other prisoners were sentenced to execution by firing squad
, set for the morning of November 14, 1817.
The hour chosen for her execution was nine in the morning of November 14. Hands bound, La Pola marched to her death with two priests by her side and led by a guard. Instead of repeating the prayers the priests were reciting, she cursed the Spaniards and predicted their defeat in the coming Revolution. It is said that La Pola cursed the Spaniards relentlessly during the night before her execution. At one point she stopped, tired and thirsty, and one of the guards offered her a glass of wine. She tossed the glass right back at her captors, proclaiming "I would not accept even a glass of water from my enemies!".
She was to die with six other prisoners and her lover, Alejo Sabaraín, in the Bolívar Square
. After ascending the scaffold she was told to turn her back, as that was the way traitors were killed. As she was led to her execution, Policarpa gave heart to the other prisoners and berated her captors. La Pola, refusing to kneel to the Spanish firing squad, yelled, "I have more than enough courage to suffer this death and a thousand more. Do not forget my example." When the squad began shooting, Pola turned aroung to face the squad.
As was customary, the bodies of Alejo and the other six prisoners were paraded and exhibited through the streets of Bogotá
, to scare off would-be Revolutionaries. Being a woman, she was spared this final humiliation.
Her Augustinian friar brothers, José Maria de Los Ángeles and Manuel Salavarrieta, claimed the body, to give her a proper Christian burial
in the convent
church of San Agustín, in the neighborhood of La Candelaria
.
Carlos Lleras Restrepo
, which declared in its 2nd Article that November 14 would be the “Day of the Colombian Woman” in honour of the anniversary of the death of “Our heroine, Policarpa Salavarrieta”.
many times over the years. While many idealized or mythological female figures have also appeared, her portrait is the only one of an actual female historical personality ever used.
Other images include: Lady Liberty
; Justice
; an unknown Native American woman
representing all indigenous peoples in Colombia
; and more recently María
, a fictitious character from the Jorge Isaacs
novel of the same name, pictured with the author. The "Diez Mil Pesos" bill ($10,000) is currently the only denomination with Policarpa Salavarrieta's image still in circulation.
issued a series of stamps that featured the images of the some of the Heroes of the Independence, including Policarpa Salavarrieta, Simón Bolívar
, Francisco de Paula Santander
, Camilo Torres Tenorio
and others
Colombian people
Colombian people are from a multiethnic Spanish speaking nation in South America called Colombia. Colombians are predominantly Roman Catholic and are a mixture of Europeans, Africans, and Amerindians.-Demography:...
seamstress who spied
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
for the Revolutionary Forces during the Spanish
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....
Reconquista
Reconquista (Spanish America)
In colonial Spanish America, the Reconquista refers to the period following the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 during which royalist armies were able to gain the upper hand in the Spanish American wars of independence...
of the Viceroyalty of New Granada
Viceroyalty of New Granada
The Viceroyalty of New Granada was the name given on 27 May 1717, to a Spanish colonial jurisdiction in northern South America, corresponding mainly to modern Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela. The territory corresponding to Panama was incorporated later in 1739...
. She was captured by Spanish Royalists and ultimately executed for high treason
High treason
High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's government. Participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps...
. She is now considered a heroine of the independence of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
.
Because her birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
was never found, her legal given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
is unknown. The name Salavarrieta is known only by the names her family and friends used. Her father referred to her as Apolonia in his will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
, which Salvador Contreras, the priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who formalized the testament on December 13, 1802, confirmed. Her brother Viviano, who was closest to her because when her parents died she was the one who took care of her. La Pola started being called Policarpa, when the armed forces in Guaduas started looking for.
In her 1817 forged passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
, used to get in and out of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
during the Reconquista
Reconquista (Spanish America)
In colonial Spanish America, the Reconquista refers to the period following the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 during which royalist armies were able to gain the upper hand in the Spanish American wars of independence...
, she appeared as Gregoria Apolinaria. Andrea Ricaurte de Lozano, whom Policarpa lived with, and officially worked for in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, as well as Ambrosio Almeyda, a guerrilla leader to whom she supplied information, also called her by that name. Her contemporaries referred to her simply as La Pola, but Policarpa Salavarrieta is the name by which she is remembered and commemorated.
Place and date of birth
La Pola's date and place of birth are also subject to conjecture in the absence of legal documents. The popular version is that she was born in the municipalityMunicipalities of Colombia
The Municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. Municipalities make up most of the departments of Colombia with 1,119 municipalities...
of Guaduas
Guaduas
Guaduas is a city in Colombia, in the province of Lower Magdalena department of Cundinamarca.-Geographical Context:At about 117 km from Bogotá. It is an agricultural and tourist center of some importance. It has about 33,000 inhabitants...
, Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca State
Cundinamarca State was one of the states of Colombia. It was created on 15 June 1857 as Estado Federal de Cundinamarca , in 1858 was recognized as Estado de la Federación, and in the constitution of 1863 re-named as Estado Soberano of the United States of Colombia.- Subdivisions :With the law of...
, between 1790 and 1796. However Rafael Pombo
Rafael Pombo
"Rafael Pombo is one of the great poets of Colombia, and the best exponent of romanticism in the country". Great Encyclopedia of ColombiaJosé Rafael de Pombo y Rebolledo was a Colombian poet born in Bogotá...
affirmed that she had been born in Mariquita, while José Caicedo Rojas confirmed it as Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
.
Her date and place of birth can be surmised from information available about her siblings which, curiously enough, were not lost.
Her siblings were:
- María Ignacia Clara, born in the San Miguel parish of Guaduas August 12, 1789–1802
- José María de los Ángeles, baptised in Guaduas on August 12, 1790 - became an Augustinian friarFriarA friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
- Catarina, born in Guaduas, 1791
- Eduardo, born in Guaduas on November 3, 1792–1802
- Manuel, born in Guaduas on May 26, 1796 - also became an Augustinian friarFriarA friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
- Francisco Antonio, baptised in the Santa Bárbara parish, BogotáBogotáBogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, 26 September 1798 - Ramón, confirmed in Bogotá in 1800
- Bibiano, baptised in Bogotá, 1801.
Judging by these family records and the fact that Policarpa was born between her two religious brothers, she would appear to have been born between 1791 and 1796. The records also seem to indicate that the Salavarrieta family lived in Guaduas and moved to Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
after Manuel was born in 1796.
In an attempt to reconcile the discrepancies the Colombian Academy of History gave its final ruling on September 10, 1991, in favour of Guaduas
Guaduas
Guaduas is a city in Colombia, in the province of Lower Magdalena department of Cundinamarca.-Geographical Context:At about 117 km from Bogotá. It is an agricultural and tourist center of some importance. It has about 33,000 inhabitants...
, Cundinamarca
Cundinamarca State
Cundinamarca State was one of the states of Colombia. It was created on 15 June 1857 as Estado Federal de Cundinamarca , in 1858 was recognized as Estado de la Federación, and in the constitution of 1863 re-named as Estado Soberano of the United States of Colombia.- Subdivisions :With the law of...
, as Policarpa's birthplace.
Early years
Without being titled or of the hidalgoHidalgo (Spanish nobility)
A hidalgo or fidalgo is a member of the Spanish and Portuguese nobility. In popular usage it has come to mean the non-titled nobility. Hidalgos were exempt from paying taxes, but did not necessarily own real property...
class, Policarpa's family were apparently respectable and well-off, judging by her childhood home in Guaduas
Guaduas
Guaduas is a city in Colombia, in the province of Lower Magdalena department of Cundinamarca.-Geographical Context:At about 117 km from Bogotá. It is an agricultural and tourist center of some importance. It has about 33,000 inhabitants...
, now a museum. The Salavarrieta Ríos family moved to Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
between 1796–1798, living in a small house in the Santa Bárbara neighbourhood.
In 1802 a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
broke out in the capital, killing thousands, including Policarpa’s father, mother, brother Eduardo and sister María Ignacia. After the tragedy, the family fell apart: José María and Manuel joining the Augustinian order, Ramón and Francisco Antonio traveled to Tena
Tena
Tena may refer to:* TENA , a brand of incontinence products for adults and teenagers* Tena, Ecuador, capital of Ecuador's Napo Province* Tena , a district in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia* Tena Negere, an Ethiopian long-distance runner...
where they found work on a farm. Catarina, the oldest surviving child, decided to move back to Guaduas around 1804, taking her younger siblings Policarpa and Bibiano with her. They lived in the houses of their godmother
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
Margarita Beltrán and their aunt Manuela until Catarina married Domingo García, again taking her two siblings with her.
There is little information about this period in Policarpa's life. What is known is that she worked as a seamstress, and is also believed to have worked as a teacher in a public school.
At that time Guaduas was an important rest stop on the most important road through New Granada, a stretch of land from Bogotá to the Magdalena River
Magdalena River
The Magdalena River is the principal river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, in spite of the shifting sand bars at the mouth of its delta, as...
communicating with the north of the country and out to the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
: soldiers, nobles, artisans, farmers, insurgents, Spaniards and Grenadines of all walks of life passed through Guaduas, making it both a centre of commerce and of news and information. During the war, Policarpa's family were involved on the Revolutionary side: her brother-in-law, Domingo García, died fighting alongside Antonio Nariño
Antonio Nariño
Antonio de la Santísima Concepción Nariño y Álvarez was an ideological Colombian precursor and one of the early political and military leaders of the independence movement in the New Granada - Early political activity :Nariño was born to an aristocratic family...
in the Southern Campaign, in which her brother Bibiano also fought.
According to legend, after the Revolution broke out, the Viceroy
Viceroy
A viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
Antonio José Amar y Borbón
Antonio José Amar y Borbón
Antonio José Amar y Borbón Arguedas was a Spanish military officer and colonial official. From September 16, 1803 to July 20, 1810 he was viceroy of New Granada . During his mandate he faced the beginning of the independence movement...
and his wife María Francisca Villanová, fearing for their lives, were smuggled out of Bogotá by the mayor José Miguel Pey de Andrade
José Miguel Pey de Andrade
José Miguel Pey y García de Andrade was a Colombian statesman and soldier and a leader of the independence movement from Spain. He is considered the first vice president and first president of Colombia. He was a centralist.-Background:Pey, a Criollo, was born on March 11, 1763 in Santa Fe de...
. They stopped in Guaduas, where the Vicereine, María Francisca Villanová, is supposed to have gone to Policarpa's house and foretold her imminent destiny and death.
Revolutionary
History indicates that Policarpa was not involved in politics before 1810, but by the time she moved back to Bogotá in 1817, she was actively participating in political issues. Because Bogotá was the stronghold of the ReconquistaReconquista (Spanish America)
In colonial Spanish America, the Reconquista refers to the period following the defeat of Napoleon in 1814 during which royalist armies were able to gain the upper hand in the Spanish American wars of independence...
, where most of the population were Spanish Royalists and approved of the take over by Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo
Pablo Morillo y Morillo, Count of Cartagena and Marquess of La Puerta, aka El Pacificador was a Spanish general....
, it was very difficult to get in and out of the city. Policarpa and her brother Bibiano entered the capital with forged documents and safeguards, and a letter of introduction written by Ambrosio Almeyda and José Rodríguez, two Revolutionary leaders; they recommended she and her brother stay in the house of Andrea Ricaurte y Lozano under cover of working as her servants. In reality Andrea Ricaurte's home was the centre of intelligence gathering and resistance in the capital.
In Guaduas, Policarpa was known as a revolutionary. Because she was not known in Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, she could move freely and meet with other patriots and spies unsuspected. She could also infiltrate the homes of the Royalists. Offering her services as a seamstress to the wives and daughters of royalists and officers, Policarpa altered and mended for them and their families; at the same time she overheard conversations, collected maps and intelligence on their plans and activities, identified who the major Royalists were, and found out who were suspected of being revolutionaries.
Policarpa also secretly recruited
Recruitment
Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a job. For some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies.The recruitment...
young men to the Revolutionary cause; with assistance from her brother. Together, they helped increase the number of soldiers the insurgency in Cundinamarca desperately needed.
Capture
Policarpa's operations ran smoothly and undetected until the Almeyda brothers were apprehended while carrying information back to the insurgents outside BogotáBogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
. Their information directly linked La Pola to the Revolution. The Almeyda brothers and La Pola were implicated in helping soldiers desert
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
the Royal Army and join the Revolution; transporting weapons, ammunitions and supplies to the insurgents; in helping the Almeydas escape from prison when they were captured in September of the same year, and finding them refuge in Machetá
Machetá
Machetá is a municipality and town of Colombia in the department of Cundinamarca....
. They had hoped their connection with La Pola could come in handy in the event of a revolt in the city. The Royalists now suspected her of treason, but lacked solid evidence to accuse a seamstress of espionage and treason.
The arrest of Alejo Sabaraín while he was trying to escape to Casanare
Casanare
* Casanare Department a subdivision of the country of Colombia* Los Llanos del Casanare a province of the Viceroyalty of New Granada* Casanare River a tributary of the Meta River in Colombia* Casanare, Colombia a city in Colombia on the Casanare River...
was the event that allowed the royalists to arrest La Pola; he was apprehended with a list of Royalist and Patriots given to him by Policarpa.
Sergeant Iglesias, the principal Spanish
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...
officer in Bogotá, was charged with finding and arresting her. Policarpa Salavarrieta and her brother Bibiano were both arrested at the house of Andrea Ricaurte y Lozano and taken to the Colegio Mayor de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, which had been turned into a makeshift prison.
Trial and death
They were taken to the Council of warCouncil of war
A council of war is a term in military science that describes a meeting held to decide on a course of action, usually in the midst of a battle. Under normal circumstances, decisions are made by a commanding officer, optionally communicated and coordinated by staff officers, and then implemented by...
and on November 10, Policarpa, Alejo, and six other prisoners were sentenced to execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
, set for the morning of November 14, 1817.
The hour chosen for her execution was nine in the morning of November 14. Hands bound, La Pola marched to her death with two priests by her side and led by a guard. Instead of repeating the prayers the priests were reciting, she cursed the Spaniards and predicted their defeat in the coming Revolution. It is said that La Pola cursed the Spaniards relentlessly during the night before her execution. At one point she stopped, tired and thirsty, and one of the guards offered her a glass of wine. She tossed the glass right back at her captors, proclaiming "I would not accept even a glass of water from my enemies!".
She was to die with six other prisoners and her lover, Alejo Sabaraín, in the Bolívar Square
Bolívar Square
The Bolívar Square is located in the heart of the historical area of Bogotá. It has a statue of Simón Bolívar sculpted in 1846 by the Italian Pietro Tenerani, which was the first ever public monument in the city...
. After ascending the scaffold she was told to turn her back, as that was the way traitors were killed. As she was led to her execution, Policarpa gave heart to the other prisoners and berated her captors. La Pola, refusing to kneel to the Spanish firing squad, yelled, "I have more than enough courage to suffer this death and a thousand more. Do not forget my example." When the squad began shooting, Pola turned aroung to face the squad.
As was customary, the bodies of Alejo and the other six prisoners were paraded and exhibited through the streets of Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, to scare off would-be Revolutionaries. Being a woman, she was spared this final humiliation.
Her Augustinian friar brothers, José Maria de Los Ángeles and Manuel Salavarrieta, claimed the body, to give her a proper Christian burial
Christian burial
A Christian burial is the burial of a deceased person with specifically Christian ecclesiastical rites; typically, in consecrated ground. Until recent times Christians generally objected to cremation, and practised inhumation almost exclusively, but this opposition has weakened, and now vanished...
in the 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...
church of San Agustín, in the neighborhood of La Candelaria
La Candelaria
La Candelaria is a historic neighborhood in downtown Bogotá, Colombia. It is the equivalent to the Old City in other cities. The architecture of the old houses, churches and buildings has Spanish Colonial and Baroque styles...
.
Legacy
Most historians consider Policarpa Salavarrieta the most significant woman of the Revolution.Day of the Colombian Woman
On November 8, 1967, Law 44 was passed by the Congress of the Republic of Colombia and signed by PresidentPresident of Colombia
The President of Colombia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Colombia. The office of president was established upon the ratification of the Constitution of 1819, by the Congress of Angostura, convened in December 1819, when Colombia was part of "la Gran Colombia"...
Carlos Lleras Restrepo
Carlos Lleras Restrepo
Carlos Lleras Restrepo was a Colombian lawyer and political figure, President of Colombia .- Biographic data :...
, which declared in its 2nd Article that November 14 would be the “Day of the Colombian Woman” in honour of the anniversary of the death of “Our heroine, Policarpa Salavarrieta”.
Colombian currency
Policarpa Salavarrieta has been depicted on Colombian CurrencyColombian peso
The peso is the currency of Colombia. Its ISO 4217 code is COP and it is also informally abbreviated as COL$. However, the official peso symbol is $. As 20 July 2011, the exchange rate of the Colombian peso is 1750 Colombian pesos to 1 U.S. dollar.-History:The peso has been the currency of Colombia...
many times over the years. While many idealized or mythological female figures have also appeared, her portrait is the only one of an actual female historical personality ever used.
Other images include: Lady Liberty
Marianne
Marianne is a national emblem of France and an allegory of Liberty and Reason. She represents the state and values of France, differently from another French cultural symbol, the "Coq Gaulois" which represents France as a nation and its history, land, culture, and variety of sport disciplines in...
; Justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
; an unknown Native American woman
Indigenous peoples in Colombia
The indigenous peoples in Colombia comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country's present territory prior to its discovery by Europeans around 1500.-Origins:...
representing all indigenous peoples in Colombia
Indigenous peoples in Colombia
The indigenous peoples in Colombia comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country's present territory prior to its discovery by Europeans around 1500.-Origins:...
; and more recently María
María (novel)
María is a novel written by Colombian writer Jorge Isaacs between 1864 and 1867. It is a costumbrist novel representative of the Spanish romantic movement...
, a fictitious character from the Jorge Isaacs
Jorge Isaacs
Jorge Isaacs Ferrer was a Colombian writer, politician and soldier. His only novel, María, became one of the most notable works of the Romantic movement in Spanish literature....
novel of the same name, pictured with the author. The "Diez Mil Pesos" bill ($10,000) is currently the only denomination with Policarpa Salavarrieta's image still in circulation.
Stamp
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the independence of Colombia in 1910, the Government of ColombiaCongress of Colombia
The Congress of the Republic of Colombia is the name given to Colombia's bicameral national legislature.The Congress of Colombia consists of the 102-seat Senate , and the 166-seat Chamber of Representatives ...
issued a series of stamps that featured the images of the some of the Heroes of the Independence, including Policarpa Salavarrieta, 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...
, Francisco de Paula Santander
Francisco de Paula Santander
Francisco José de Paula Santander y Omaña , was a Colombian military and political leader during the 1810–1819 independence war of the United Provinces of New Granada...
, Camilo Torres Tenorio
Camilo Torres Tenorio
Camilo Torres Tenorio was a Colombian politician. He is credited as being an early founder of the nation due to his role in early struggles for independence from Spain.-Biography:...
and others
Further reading
- Simms, William Gilmore. "The Story of the Maid of Bogota." In Southward Ho! A Spell of Sunshine, 36-58. New York: A.C. Armstrong & Son, 1854.