Gertrudis Párraga

Other names/titles:
Gender: F
Ethnic origin: White

Biographical details

From an upper-class family, from Valencia, Venezuela, she was the sister-in-law of patriot Capt. José María Ortega. On 11 July 1814 a rabble of royalists soldiers pillaged Valencia. Párraga was in bed with her three-day old son with only a sheet to protect her. Seeing a soldier grab her son by the leg and raise his machete to kill him, she cried: "¡Bárbaro! ¿No ves que esta criatura puede estar sin bautismo?" She and her son were killed. (Monsalve, 63)

This is possibly the same person - Bolívar awarded her and her sisters, Rosa and Jacinta, an annual pension of 1,000 pesos. This is probably an error and should be Mercedes Párraga. (Monsalve, 264)

Life Events

Died

1814

She and her three day old son were killed by royalists on 11 July 1814.

References

Monsalve, José D, (1926), Mujeres de la independencia

Publications

There is no writing by this subject in the database.

Links

Resource id #21 (64)

Resource id #25 (7)

Resource id #29 (1)

Resource id #33 (111)

Gendering Latin American Independence

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