María Josefa Fernández Silguero de Valest

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

Biographical details

From Mompós, Colombia, she was the sister of Inés Fernández Silguero, married to Coronel Nicolás Valest.

In January 1811 she offered to make tacos out of her sons´ heads for the independence troops. Monsalve states this was a gesture rather than a firm offer but it indicates this woman's revolutionary fervour. In 1815 she and her sister were imprisoned in Cartagena by Morrillo. They both emigrated to Jamaica with their husbands, but were both widowed there (their husbands were both weakened serving the independence cause). The sisters returned to Mompóx where they died impoverished. (Monsalve, 107)

She, her husband and several of their young children were among those who fled the royalists at Cartagena in 1815. (Monsalve, 127)

She married Nicolás Valest and the pair became very strong patriots. She fought alongside her husband at Cartagena. They fled to Jamaica following the defeat and Valest died here in 1816. She returned to Mompós with her many children after independence and unsuccessfully applied for a pension claiming that she had given her wealth to the independence cause. (P. Forero, 72-73)

Life Events

Other	1811	In January 1811 she offered her sons' heads as food for the patriots.
Other	1815	She went into exile in Jamaica from Cartagena.
Other	1816	Her husband died in Jamaica.

References

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

Forero, Paulo E., (1972), Las heroinas olvidadas de la independencia

Publications

There is no writing by this subject in the database.

Links

Resource id #27 (186)

Resource id #31 (109)

Resource id #35 (137)

Resource id #39 (56)

Resource id #43 (27)

Resource id #47 (19)

Gendering Latin American Independence

School of Modern Languages and Cultures
Trent Building, University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

telephone: +44 (0)115 951 5655
email: Catherine.davies@nottingham.ac.uk