Francisco de Agüero was a Cuban revolutionary who was one of the first martyrs of Cuba's struggle for independence.
Francisco de Agüero | |
|---|---|
| Born | Francisco de Agüero y Velasco 1793 |
| Died | March 16, 1826 |
| Nationality |  Cuba |
| Other names | Frasquito |
Biography
editFrancisco de Agüero y Velasco, also known as Frasquito, was born in Puerto Príncipe (now Camagüey), Spanish Cuba, in 1793. He was the son of Josefa Velasco Agüero and Pablo Antonio Betancourt Agüero.[1]
In 1822, Agüero belonged to the Cadena Triangular de Puerto Príncipe, a masonic lodge linked to the 1823 José Francisco Lemus conspiracy.[2] The "Soles y Rayos de Bolívar [es]" conspiracy led by Lemus sought to abolish slavery and establish an independent republic.[3] In the summer of 1823, the separatist plot was suppressed and the conspirators were ordered to be arrested. Agüero managed to escape abroad, first to Jamaica in 1824, then to the United States, eventually settling in Philadelphia where he associated with Gaspar Betancourt Cisneros. While in North America, he immersed himself in progressive literature, including The Rights of Man and The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine and Rousseau's The Social Contract.[4]
The following year, Agüero and Andrés Manuel Sánchez went to Cartagena, Colombia to request the support of Simón Bolívar.[5] They joined the Colombian Army and obtained the military rank of second lieutenant.[6] They eventually relocated to Jamaica, the closest place to access Cuba. While in Jamaica, a new liberation plan was forged to infiltrate the island.[4]
From Kingston, Jamaica, they disembarked on the English sloop Margaret in January 1826 and arrived near Santa Cruz del Sur.[7] Spanish intelligence first detected them on the Caribbean island and informed Francisco Illas, the governor of Santiago de Cuba, who then passed the information to the governor of Puerto Príncipe.[8] In March 1826, Puerto Príncipe (in Camagüey Province) was the site of the first armed insurrection for independence, orchestrated by Agüero and Andrés Manuel Sánchez. Agüero, Sánchez, and eight other compatriots were captured after launching the insurrection on the southern coast of Camagüey province.[9] They were apprehended by the aides of Captain-General Francisco Dionisio Vives and condemned to die for treason when they refused to divulge the secrets of their leaders.
Death
editOn March 16, 1826, Francisco Agüero Velasco was hanged at Plaza Mayor, the central square of Puerto Príncipe.[10]
By being executed, Agüero and Sánchez were the first martyrs of Cuba's struggle for independence.[11]
References
edit- ^ El Camagüeyano (Miami, Fla.). (1969). United States: (n.p.).
- ^ "Vindication of Suns and Rays of Bolívar - Crimson Publishers" (PDF). crimsonpublishers.com. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Pérez, L. A. (n.d.). Cuba: between reform and revolution (5th ed). Oxford University Press.
- ^ a b "Historia de Cuba - La Habana" (PDF). mined.gob.cu. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
- ^ Report of the Census of Cuba, 1899. (1900). United States: (n.p.).
- ^ "·[Lfh rn~ ~~[Q)íl©íl©~ [Q)~ rl©~ TRECE - Biblat - La Expedicion De Los Trece" (PDF). biblat.unam.mx. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
- ^ Cuba and Its Right to Freedom. (1987). United States: Editorial Laurenty Pub..
- ^ Marrero, L. (1868). Cuba, economía y sociedad: Del monopolio hacia la libertad comercial (1701-1763). Puerto Rico: Editorial San Juan.
- ^ Robins, N. A. (2010). The Culture of Conflict in Modern Cuba. United States: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.
- ^ CatasAos, G. C. (2021). The Revolution that Wasn't: My Candid Observations about the Shared Cuba and US Histories. (n.p.): Fulton Books, Incorporated.
- ^ Tucker, S. (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. United States: ABC-CLIO.