Hundreds of men and women in the…
October 1868 CE
Hundreds of men and women in the Puerto Rican town of Lares—stricken by poverty and politically estranged from Spain—revolt against Spanish rule on September 23, 1868, seeking independence.
The Grito de Lares ("Lares Cry" or "Lares Uprising") is planned by a group led by Dr. Ramón Emeterio Betances, at the time exiled to the Dominican Republic, and Segundo Ruiz Belvis.
Dr. Betances had founded the Comité Revolucionario de Puerto Rico (Revolutionary Committee of Puerto Rico) in January 1868.
The most important figures in the uprising are Manuel Rojas, Mathias Brugman, Mariana Bracetti, Francisco Ramirez Medina and Lola Rodríguez de Tió.
The uprising, although significant, is quickly controlled by Spanish authorities.