HEROIN ANONYMS IN THE INDEPENDENCE OF COLOMBIA

WOMEN: anonymous in Latin American history

(Introduction)

       The women participated actively before, during and after the process of Independence of Colombia. Although there are many writings on heroines that were protagonists during the historical development of the Independence from 1810, there is an army of women who equally fulfilled a series of papers that meant in the last instance the definitive Independence.

       Who were these women? Why were they the heroes of Independence? What role did they play? What were the myths, symbols and imaginaries of the Woman of Independence that was created by reason of the revolutions? What did they think and what was their purpose in supporting the independence cause? What was the mentality of women in the early nineteenth century? What was the attitude of women to the military, political, economic and cultural development that was transforming the society of the nascent republic?

       In the first place, those armies of women, the heroes of Independence, are identified in historical records. They range from the humblest to the powerful, all of which met specific goals from political decision-making to the military actions that took place across the nation. There are those from very young to ethnic groups, or those that became the engine that encouraged the mood of the populations in which each was leader.

       Allusive to the courage of women, their determination, their audacity, sometimes it was simply a task, that is, when characters like Simón Bolívar or some other witness that left some of the outstanding facts of the women of The time was made more by the impressions left by women for their actions than by the concern to write about the complex role of women in all social, political, economic and cultural spheres.

       The anonymous heroines of Independence in Colombia are the reflection of women during the other pro-independence processes. Factors such as trade and social processes allowed generating identity in Latin American women. The Independence of Colombia meant the Independence of other nations, meant to participate in the same political processes that took place in the rest of the continent and this, in turn, meant a leading role for Women throughout Latin America.

       Many foreign women, those who did not belong to the neogranadino viceroyalty or who were not Creoles participated also in the process of Independence, were equally protagonists. They suffered the rigors of battles, stigmatizations, persecutions, and also met social, political, economic and cultural objectives that consolidated the cause of independence.

The Woman: protagonist

 "A perpetual cage should be her coat if she were not sentenced to death, for there is no doubt that she has lost her mind, and she is mad mad."

     Many men woke up with the idea of ​​Independence, but women never ceased to be surprised when confronted with adverse situations, and in the face of their determination the most -commendable- was not to try to provoke it.

       The qualifiers to stigmatize or disqualify as the one who has lost the judgment or who has gone crazy what it did was to feed that monster that men "saw" that was inside the women and therefore had to be very careful with them .

       When a woman did not obey orders not from her superiors but from her enemies, she made the punishments that applied to her useless. The same thing happened with the women in the prisons, they suffered all kinds of harassment, many of them were shot or banished, in many other ways women showed loyalty to their ideals.

 "Go and die with the men, we women will march forward: we will present our breasts to the cannon and the shrapnel unloads upon us, and the men will follow us and whom we have saved from the first discharge, pass over our corpses, seize the Artillery and liberate the fatherland "

       The legends of women generated during the time of Independence are part of history, social, political, economic and cultural processes and this also represents a way of thinking, a paradigm. And it is this phrase that emphasizes its protagonism, it is that cry that gives a mother to her son that allows to distinguish the discourse of the Woman in the historical processes, it can be said then, that at the same time this mother is addressing to all her Generation, that is, it would be transformed into a war cry.

       And what, my lady, is your offering so spontaneous and timely? A patriot officer asks a woman who is also a patriot and she answers "They are five of my children" (this is to be part of the liberating army) ... "these are elements that imply responsibility, detachment and a series of implications that Could only be understood by understanding the force of the woman for the thought of the time.

       The authority and the power of the woman in the family in front of the estates of the society like the religious or commercial maintained and increased the heroism before some epopéyicos facts as they were the executions during the denominated time of the terror in the frame of the reconquest of The royalist troops.

Here is a legendary anecdote that shows the strength of the woman of independence:

       "Manuela Beltran had ignited the fervor in Socorro, on March 16; but it was Black Magdalene who, on the 30th of the same month and in the same city, put the men on the warpath. It was Friday market day. At one o'clock the plaza of Chiquinquirá was filled with people, although no one stopped the market. When the bell rang, the bell rang in the church and someone threw a flying sign, an agreed signal for a massive meeting in the Plaza Mayor. There was a lot of shouting and little play. At three in the afternoon the mood began to be paid. Suddenly a mulatta, over thirty-five, known to all as the Black Magdalena, stood in front of the door of the tobacco administration and asked in a loud voice: 'Who can defend the king's weapons?' The audacity of the question took the protesters unprepared. There was a few seconds of silence and someone finally shouted, 'Noooo!' And behind that voice another thousand repeated a 'Noooo!' Clamorous. La Negra Magdalena had a second question to the tumultuaries: 'Is there anyone who stands up for the defense of tobacco income?' The 'Nooo!' 'This time was chanted immediately. La Negra Magdalena asked her third question: 'Is there anyone who protects this waterproofing?' The 'Noooo' unanimous was reiterated. Someone said: 'Woe to whoever protects this watertight!' La Negra Magdalena had no further questions, took a stone of great caliber and with infallible marksmanship she burst it over the royal arms placed on the lindel of the third of the tobacconist. The neighbors broke the fear imposed on them by those shields, symbol of the power of a distant and despotic authority. "

Regarding the previous anecdote, it must be borne in mind that the teaching of the Creole girls was carried out in the nunneries and in the schools -internados- that had been established for them. The educational project was the same as that presented in the colleges of New Spain; Integral formation of the woman as a Christian and preparing it at the same time to -clear the house- and to act in that society of which they were part and that is defined then as the -good policy. This opened the way for them to realize their lives in the convent or the home through Christian marriage unigamo and indissoluble.

       The ideal was obedience on the part of the woman and obtain the degree of knowledge sufficient to be a kind of good woman, this also applied to indigenous women, in short, and women were educated to provide a good service to the house and community. However, the revolutions of Independence revealed the real capacity of women in all walks of life.

       Among the women protagonists in the process of Independence of Colombia are: Madame Julienne was the one who in Jamaica served as refuge to Simon Bolivar. Andrea Ricaurte de Lozano, wife of Don Judas Tadeo Lozano, house that was like the headquarters, the Bogota center of the conspiracy against the realists.

       There were women like Antonia Santos who, desperate for the outrages, humiliations and humiliations that passed on the patriots, reflected on these situations and often gave them a feeling of just demand that already demanded the end of so many sorrows and pains, decided to organize and pay with His home the famous Comoro guerrilla, whose center of activities was mainly his home in El Hatillo.

       Heroine remembered (almost forgotten) is Rita Duque de Montoya, Antioquia. To the fall of the Republic (about 1816), had outstanding features of generosity to give freedom to many patriots confined in prisons. Such acts are heroic in that it was a time of war, terror and intimidation, and any action could mean death.

       Another prostitute was the slave Josefa Conde, who worked together with Josefa Castro (his mistress) in collecting weapons, men and horses for war. For this reason, she was sacrificed with her slave girl on September 13, 1817.

       Significant events carried out a series of heroines such as Ana Maria Martinez de Nisser of Sonson, who "(...) becomes famous as a heroic fighter in Salamis, May 4, 1841, and dies on November 18, 1872." Leonor Guerra, "Natural heroine-martyr of Cartagena, publicly beaten for defending the patriots, died as a result of punishment"

       There is also Eugenia Arrazola who was "Heroine-natural martyr of Turbaco, shot by Morillo in the hacienda of 'Torrecilla', located at a medium distance between Cartagena and that city. Its execution took place the 30 of August of 1815 for having been proven to him that served as a link for the transmission of the news to his compatriots besieged in Cartagena ".

       And Estefanía Parra who was "a patriot of humble cradle but of an intimate interest for his beloved homeland. It was one of the key elements in the Battle of Boyacá, because it was she who collaborated opportunely with Santander on the crucial problem of the passage of the Boyacá River ...”

Epilogue:

       Women in the history of the Independence of Colombia must be written as a historical claim against androcentrism, must assume the role of Women in all social fields, from their role in battles such as those that helped, among other things, in such elementary issues as embroidery were key factors in the triumph and consolidation of the nation's independence.

       In the different celebrations, anonymous women should be especially written and remembered. In this order of ideas, it is worth remembering for the bicentenaries some heroines such as:

Gabriela Barriga, wife of Villavicencio (exiled to Anolaima), Barbara Forero, is a companion of the Matilde who appeared in public to harangue; He pretended to have an open public school in his home to teach his fellow countrymen beautiful manners. He is from Zipaquira and has been banished to Sesca.

Anonymous anonymous exiles were:

       The wife of Fruto Gutiérrez is also the family of Girardot. It must be remembered that many of the women were imprisoned or banished because of the pro-independence revolutions, such as Carlota Armero, who was shot by the Spanish officer Santacruz in his native city on May 28, 1816.

       There are also legends of heroines, eventually formed by what might be called "war cries", for example, in the different cries such as "Viva Santa Fe and chapetones die!" Or "We women ( (...) "show the dynamism, show the drama and the passion it aroused among the inhabitants of each province, the fact is that the same political effervescence would be concentrated in the province of Santafe.

       The courage of the woman is always enclosed by a golden one, in the sense that for the time (1810-1816), a rebellious woman was considered potentially dangerous. And this was increased by the execution of many women who turned those moments into heroic legends. The following case is an example of this:

"Women set an example for soldiers; A brave patriot advancing with a sword in his hand, asked a woman to depart to occupy the place; She insults him and says: 'Will not the stone that I cast will have as much effect as its blows?' And stood firm in the post’

       It should be remembered that not only the notables, but even Simon Bolivar, considered the inept and incapable of the population in general, whether they were supposed to be liberal or conservative ideals, this excuse served not only for "women... Under the age of twenty-five (...) "but to start a long history of political limitations and deprivations throughout the territory of the future republic.

       "After the conquest of the convent and surrender of the Spanish troops was completed, in which, according to Father Afanador, an eyewitness of the events, many women of the town took part actively, which he saw saw his climbs together with his men in the Trestles of the roofs firing with cannons made of guadua bundled with vines, and many in the square throwing stones of considerable weight against the Spanish soldiers ...”

Conclusion:

        Women not only contributed to the cause of independence, but also was the motor, development and consolidation inherent in the Independence of Colombia and Latin American nations. By participating in independence processes in factors such as logistics, resources, moral support can be summarized the role of women in independence and many anonymous heroines.

DOCUMENTARY AND BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

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Rodríguez Plata, Horacio, The old province of Socorro and Independencia, publishing publications, Bogotá, 1963.

Coy Montaña, Alberto (director), Sogamoso 450 years, Graphic Workshops, Tunja, S.F.

Gómez Gómez, Amanda, Women heroines in Colombia and made warriors, first edition, Interpres, Medellín, 1978.

Gutiérrez Isaza, Elvia, Heroic history of the women heroes of Colombia, Municipal press, Medellín.

Hilario López, José, "Fusilamiento of Policarpa Salavarrieta", in: Melo, Jorge Orlando (compiler), Report of the history of Colombia, Vol. 1, planet, Bogota, 1989.

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Santos Molano, Enrique, Liberating women. The Polycarps of Independence, Planeta, Bogotá, 2010.

Ortega Ricaurte, Daniel, Quicentennial Album, Colombian Academy of History, Bogotá, S.F.

Ortega, José, "Patriot Ladies", in: Bulletin of History and Antiquities, No. 119-120, Editorial Black Eagle, September-October 1916, Bogota, Page 733.

Rodríguez Gómez, Juan Camilo, "The Independence of the Socorro in the genesis of the Colombian emancipation", in: Credencial History, No. 242, Colombian printer S.A, Bogota, February of 2010, Page 07.

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