Grito De Lares

El Grito de Lares

In the 1860s, the government of Spain was involved in several conflicts across Latin America. It became involved in a war with Peru and Chile, and had to address slave revolts in Cuba. In mid-19th century Puerto Rico, many supporters of independence from Spain, and others who simply called for liberal reforms, were jailed or exiled. However in 1865, Spain attempted to appease the growing discontent in its colonies, by setting up a "board of review" to receive complaints from colonial representatives. This board, the Junta Informativa de Reformas de Ultramar (Informative Board on Overseas Reforms) would be formed by representatives of each colony, in proportion to their collective population. To the frustration of the Puerto Rican delegates, including their leader José Julián Acosta, the Junta had a majority of Spanish-born delegates, which would vote down almost every measure they suggested. However, Acosta could convince the Junta that abolition could be achieved in Puerto Rico without disrupting the local economy, including its Cuban members, who frowned upon implementing it in Cuba because of its much higher numbers of slave labor. Ramón Emeterio Betances, who supported independence from Spain and had been exiled by the Spanish government twice by that time, was invited by Ruiz and did attend. After listening to the Junta members' list of voted-down measures, Betances stood up and retorted: "Nadie puede dar lo que no tiene“.The leaders decided to start their revolution in the town of Lares on September 23. Some 400–600 rebels gathered on that day in the hacienda of Manuel Rojas, located in the vicinity of Pezuela, on the outskirts of Lares. Led by Rojas and Juan de Mata Terraforte, the poorly-trained and sparsely-armed rebels reached the town by horse and foot around midnight. They looted local stores and offices owned by peninsulares (Spanish-born men) and took over the city hall. Spanish merchants and local government authorities, considered by the rebels as enemies of the fatherland, were taken as prisoners.

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