An exploration of women's involvement in the Latin American Wars of Independence

Josefa Camejo Venancia de la Encarnación

Gender:Female

Ethnic origen: White

Events:

Connections:

Texts:
1811 - Letter co-signed by several Barinas women in which they offer to fight for the independence cause.

Biography:
She was born in Pueblo Nuevo, Dist. Falcón, Aquaque, Paraguaná, Coro province, Venezuela, in 1781, the daughter of Miguel Camejo and Ignacia Talavera y Garcés. She was educated by nuns. She married Coronel Juan Nepomuceno Briceño Méndez. Knaster states that "she is known for her celebrated manifesto declaring incorporation of the province of Coro into the Republican movement." (Knaster, 479.)

She was among a group of women from Barinas province who in 1811 wrote to the governor offering to enlist in the republican army. Their offer was rejected, but their letter was printed in the Gaceta de Caracas. (Tosta, 72.)

She was part of the Patriotic Army in Barinas in 1813. She fled to Nuevo Granada persecuted by the Spaniards. She secretly returned to Venezuela and drummed up recruits for the independence cause. An attack on Coro province was led by 300 slaves. On 3 May 1821, she herself read out the manifesto declaring the Province of Falcón to be free. (N.A., Heroínas, 40-41.)

(There could be 2 people here, Knaster gives her year of birth as 1791 and N.A., Heroínas does not mention a marriage.)

References:

Pérez Vila, Manuel (editor). (1983) Gaceta de Caracas
Davies, Catherine, Brewster, Claire and Owen, Hilary (2006) South American Independence. Gender, Politics, Text
Knaster, Meri (1977) Women in Spanish America: An Annotated Bibliography from Pre-Conquest to Contemporary Times
N.A. (1964) Heroínas venezolanas
Tosta, Virgilio (1987) Historia de Barinas