PATRIA MERCEDES MIRABAL

Patria was born on February 27, 1924, the anniversary of the Dominican Republic's independence. For this reason she was given the name "Patria" which means "fatherland." Patria had an affinity for painting and art. She was sent to Colegio Inmaculada Concepción, a Catholic boarding school in La Vega, at the age of fourteen, along with her sisters Dedé and Minerva. At seventeen, Patria married Pedro Gonzalez, a farmer. They had four children: Nelson Enrique, Noris Mercedes, Raul Ernesto, and Juan Antonio (who sadly died five months after his birth). For their part in the attempts to overthrow Trujillo, the ever-religious Patria and the anti-trujillista Pedro had their property and home seized by the government. Nonetheless, Patria supported her sister Minerva in her anti-government efforts, and opposed Trujillo because she was concerned for the future of the country's children.

 

"We cannot allow our children to grow up in this corrupt and tyrannical regime, we have to fight against it, and I am willing to give up everything, including my life if necessary."
Patria Mercedes Mirabal