The Grito de Lares, September 23, 1868

On September 23, 1868, an armed force of some 800 men, organized by Betances's Revolutionary Committee described in the previous lesson, marched on the town of Lares and took it, launching the uprising known as the Grito de Lares.

Once in control of the town, the rebels declared Puerto Rico a republic, placed their revolutionary flag on the altar of the town's parish church, and swore in Francisco Ramírez Medina as first president of the republic, all within the space of a single day.

That flag itself is often popularly credited to Mariana Bracetti, though Wikipedia's sources specify that the actual embroidery was carried out by fellow revolutionary Eduviges Beauchamp Sterling, while Bracetti directed the revolt's coded communications. Either way, it is recognized today as the first flag of Puerto Rico: a white Latin cross dividing red and blue fields, with a single white star.

The rebellion barely outlived its opening day. Rebel forces advancing toward the neighboring town of San Sebastián del Pepino met strong resistance from the Spanish militia and were forced to withdraw; Governor Julián Pavía's forces then rounded up the rebels, who were imprisoned in Arecibo. Eighty of the imprisoned rebels died in jail before the surviving prisoners, including Bracetti, were released on January 20, 1869 under a general amnesty from Spain's new republican government.

The uprising's later cultural life lasted decades longer than its brief military life. The poet Lola Rodríguez de Tió, inspired directly by Betances's cause, wrote the original patriotic lyrics over the already existing tune of "La Borinqueña," the song that would eventually become Puerto Rico's national anthem, long after the rebellion itself had been crushed.

Sources: Grito de Lares; Mariana Bracetti. Freeze 2026-08-22.