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The history of The Hermanas Mirabal in the Dominican Republic.

"I'll reach my arms out from the tomb and I'll be stronger.” Minerva Mirabal.

The Mirabal Sisters.

The Hermanas Mirabal were three women who fought against the dictatorship of the Dominican Republic. Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa dedicated their lives to the cause. They were brutally murdered by henchmen acting on the instructions of Dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo.

The Mirabal Sisters / Las Hermanas Mirabales Dominican women, daughters, and mothers from the town of Ojo de Agua in the Salcedo Providence, Dominican Republic . Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa were three women who gave their lives to help others.

Trujillo first came into contact with the families at a party to which they had been invited. They all went except Chea, the mother because they were afraid to say no to the «request.» Trujillo was smitten with Minerva and danced with her and conversed with her. The family abruptly left the party when she refused his advances. This enraged Trujillo, so he had the father, Don Enrique, arrested and imprisoned in the Fortelaza Ozama in Ciudad Trujillo. The following day, Minerva and Doa Chea were arrested, along with Minerva's friends Brunilda Soé, Enma Rodrguez, Violeta Martnez (from Moca) and Violeta Martnez (from San Francisco).

Every day, Trujillo's men took Minerva to the Fortaleza Ozama and interrogated her. She refused to write Trujillo an apology letter. They knew the right people because the family was well-connected. They persuaded Trujillo's brother, with whom they were acquainted, to intervene on their behalf and have the imprisoned family members released.

They were constantly afraid of Trujillos' men and were arrested again a few years later. Don Enrique, the girls' father, died on December 14, 1953, as a result of their constant fear and stress. Chea, their mother, moved into a new house she had built in 1956. After her husband died, she felt too lonely in the old family home. The Museo de las Hermanas Mirabal / Mirabal Sisters Museum was established after the mother's death on January 20, 1981.

The Mirabal girls married went to school, had children, living what appeared to be normal lives. When things just were too much to bear any longer they decided enough was enough. They had a meeting with their friends to find some way to stop Trujillo and his reign of terror over the Dominican people. The group the Mirabal sisters helped form that fought against the Trujillo regimen was known as al Movimiento 14 de Junio/ The Movement of the Fourteenth of June. The sisters were known as Las Mariposas/ The Butterflies.

Movimiento 14 de Junio/ The Movement of the Fourteenth of June.

The Movimento Revolucionario de 14 de Julio's young members held secret meetings to work against the dictator. However, one of them was a traitor. Almost the entire group of young people, mostly from the upper middle class, had been arrested and taken into custody within a few weeks. More than a hundred members of 14 de Julio were apprehended by the end of the month. The majority of them had to endure indescribable suffering and a few were killed.

Under pressure from the Catholic Church, Trujillo eventually allowed the women to go free on parole, with some of the men following suit later. Many important leaders, including Manolo Tavares and Leandro Guzmán, the husbands of Maria Teresa and Minerva, remain imprisoned. The dictator kept the men imprisoned in the hopes of getting the women to shut up and stop their activities, but it didn't work.

The End of Las Mariposas

Trujillo decided to get rid of the sisters on November 25, 1960, after having had enough of their antics. Trujillo assisted in arranging a meeting between the sisters and their husbands in prison. On the way home from their visit, he dispatched his men to intercept the three women.
The women sensed something was wrong and enlisted the help of Rufino de la Cruz, a 37-year-old farmer, and driver, to ensure their safety. Around 7:30 p.m., the sisters' vehicle came to a halt. They were led into a field of sugar cane. The sisters and Rufino were beaten and strangled mercilessly in this place. Then they were driven to La Cumbre, a mountain between Santiago and Puerto Plata.

Trujillo thought he was finally free of “the problem”. What happened next was just the opposite of what he had hoped. The plan failed. The people of the Dominican Republic, along with the Catholic Church, were outraged. These ladies lives were cut short because of their convictions. Trujillo, with these actions, brought more attention to the rebellion. Instead of eliminating the people working to overthrow his dictatorship this action brought its downfall. This contributed to his assassination on May 30, 1961, only six months later.

The bravery of the women, their refusal to stay quiet or give up The Mirabal sisters, now largely known as “the Mariposas” have come to be recognized as heroines in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic

06/11/21

Ashley Russo

https://www.colonialzone-dr.com/hermanas-mirabal/

photograph | Hermanas Mirabal | Dominican Republic | Trujillo | Dominican History | tragedy | Las Mariposas