This is a great article written by two Dons who have written about a history that has never been taught to the Puerto Rican population in the United States.
Brigadier General Antonio Valero de Bernabé, Emeterio Betances, Pedro Albizu Campos, Filiberto Ojeda Rios will never be forgotten. There sacrifice has made our people struggle and our real history will be revealed. America and those who impose an undemocratic theocratic system in Puerto Rico will never bend the will of Puerto Rico. Never. This article reflects a historic figure, a grand Liberator of Latin America.
By: Jorge Gerardo Muñiz Ortiz and Daniel Prieto
Brigadier General Antonio Valero de Bernabé was born in the city of Fajardo in the Eastern part of the island of Puerto Rico on October 26, 1790. He is also known as the Liberator from Puerto Rico because he joined Don Simón Bolívar in his struggles to gain independence of Latin American countries from Spanish rule.
Spain to study military science and graduated in 1807 as a junior officer. He served in the Spanish Army and helped defeat Napoleon’s army at the Siege of Zaragoza in 1808, which granted him a promotion to the rank of colonel. Valero’s view towards the monarchy in Spain was so disdainful, due to the King’s policies towards the colonies in Latin America that he resigned from his commission with the army and fled to Mexico. In Mexico, Valero joined the Mexican Revolutionary Army and was named Chief of Staff and successfully helped in achieving Mexico’s independence from Spain. This led to the proclamation of Agustin de Iturbide, Valero’s leader during the resurrection, as the Emperor of Mexico. However, due to the fact that Valero despised the idea of monarchies, he
fled Mexico after revolting against Iturbide. Valero was captured and sent to a prison in Cuba, where he escaped with the help of a group of men who believed in Don Simón Bolívar’s pursuit of Latin American independence and Pan Americanism.
Brigadier General Antonio Valero de Bernabé learned of Don Simón Bolívar’s struggle for independence and unification of Latin America and decided to join him in his battles. Valero traveled to the small island of Saint Thomas in the Caribbean, where, it has been historically documented, many Puerto Ricans had established a base for their fight for the island’s independence from Spain (it has been documented that independence proponents Ramón Emeterio Betances and Eugenio María de Hostos would later be exiled to St. Thomas. They also believed in the unification of antillian nations into a confederacy). Valero travelled to Venezuela where he met General Francisco de Paula Santander (4th President of the Republic of the New Granada and 2nd Vice-President of the Republic of Colombia). After gaining Don Simón Bolívar’s confidence Valero would be appointed various positions including Military Chief of the Department of Panama, Governor of Puerto Cabello, Chief of Staff of Colombia, Minister of War and Maritime of Venezuela. Valero’s dream, which was not realized, was to liberate Puerto Rico from
Spain and become part of the United Provinces of New Granada as a separate state called Boriquén.
Valero served as honor guard during Don Simón Bolívar’s funeral and in 1853 was honored by Venezuela with “The Bust of the Liberator of Venezuela”. Valero would also be awarded with “The Medal of the Liberators of Mexico”, “The Bust of the Liberator of Peru”, and the “Medal del Callao”. Valero died in the capital city Bogotá, Colombia on June 7, 1863 and was buried there.
A quote from Don Simón Bolívar about Brigadier General Antonio Valero de Bernabé:
“Al llegar a Lima a principios de 1825, se presenta al Libertador. Bolívar ese mismo día le escribe a Santander: ‘Hoy ha llegado el General Valero con su hermoso batallón. No he hecho más que verlo, pero me parece un excelente oficial, por
lo que he oído de él y por su fisonomía. Le he dado el mando de la división que sitia al Callao a las órdenes del General Sálom’. Valero, siempre con el deseo de liberar a Cuba y Puerto Rico le presenta el plan a Bolívar. Este le responde las mismas razones que Santander le ofreció, pero le comenta que tiene el deseo de la liberación de las islas antillanas. Sabemos que Antonio Valero era un hombre apuesto, gentil con el sexo opuesto, fuerte de carácter y excelente ventrílocuo. Este don en que en una época era considerado como sobrenatural,
lo utilizaba con humor. Cuentan sus amigos que en el campo de batalla era ‘un león desencadenado’”.
English Translation: “At the time of his arrival at the beginning of 1825, [Valero] presents himself to the Liberator. That same day, Bolívar writes Santander: ‘Today General Valero has arrived with his beautiful battalion. I’ve seen him, and appears to be an excellent official, based on what I’ve heard about him and by his features. I have given him command of the divison based in Callao under the orders of General Sálom’. Valero, always with the wishes of liberating Cuba and Puerto Rico presents his plan to Bolívar. Bolívar responds with the same reasons that Santander gave him, but tells him about his wishes for the libration of the Antillean islands. We know that Antonio Valereo was a handsome man, gentile with the opposite sex, strong of character and excellent ventriloquist. This talent, which during my time was considered supernatural, he used is with humor. His friends say that on the battlefield Valero was an ‘unchained lion’”.
Link:
http://www.phiota.org/PhiotaSum09.pdf
Footnote:
1. Retrieved from the World Wide Web on June 25, 2009: http://lainformacion.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1683&Itemid=28
El Che Speech on Don Pedro Albizu Campos
