Hermanas Mirabal/Mirabal Sisters
The families first real run in with Trujillo was at a party to which they were invited. The family left early. Trujillo was angry about this so he had the father, Don Enrique arrested (no one was permitted to leave a party before Trujillo). Minerva and Doña Chea were also arrested the following day. Every day Minerva was taken to the Fortaleza Ozama and interrogated by two of Trujillo's men. She refused to write a letter of apology to Trujillo. Since the family was well connected, they knew the right people. They got Trujillos brother, with whom they had acquaintance, to intercede for them and have the family members that were imprisoned released.
They were again arrested a few years later and were always in fear of Trujillos men. This constant fear and stress led to Don Enrique, the girls father, death on December 14, 1953
The group the Mirabal sisters helped form that fought against the Trujillo regimen was known as the Movement of the Fourteenth of June. The sisters were known as Las Mariposas/ The Butterflies
On November 25, 1960 Trujillo decided he had enough of the sisters trouble making and decided it was time to get rid of them. He sent his men to intercept the three women on their return home from visiting their husbands who were incarcerated. Trujillo had these men imprisoned in hopes that it would make the ladies shut up and stop their activities, which it did not. The sisters car was stopped. They were led into a sugarcane field. Here they were mercilessly beaten and strangled to death. Then their car was taken to a mountain known as La Cumbre, between Santiago and Puerto Plata, and thrown off.
Minerva Argentina (the second sister, was born on March 12, 1926) is the one that initially got involved with the underground movement to overthrow the government. While she was away at school she had friends whose families had been tortured by Trujillos men. With this her eyes were opened. She always a bit of a rebel and hated when someone or something was wronged. With her interest in politics (Minerva went to University in Santo Domingo which then was called Ciudad Trujillo) and her desire to study to become a lawyer, this was the perfect cause for her. She met the leader of the Popular Socialist Party and started her fight for freedom of the country. She married Manolo (Manuel Tavarez and had 2 children), who was also anti-Trujillo.
Maria Teresa (the youngest sister, was born on October 15, 1936) was seeing Leandro Guzmán (they had 1 child) who was also involved in the anti-Trujillo movement. So they worked together for the over throw of Trujillo's government.
Patria Mercedes (the eldest sister, was born on February 27, 1924). She was leaning towards being a nun when she met and married Pedro Gonzalez (they had 4 children).
Dedé, her given name is Bélgica, was born February 29, 1925 (her birth was filed on March 1st so this is her legal birthday). She is the sister that was not with the rest of the sisters on that tragic day. She has since dedicated her life to preserving her sisters memory. She has 9 children, one of which is Jaime David Fernandez Mirabal. He served as the vice-president during Leonel Fernández's first term as president between the years of 1996 and 2000.
The Mirabal Museo/Museum is Dedés way to maintain the memory of her sisters. She greets many of the visitors to the museum personally. This museum, in this the second home of the Mirabal family in Conuco, Salcedo, displays much of the family's personal effects. Included in the collection is María Teresa's embroidery and Patria's teacup collection. The most powerful items in the collection are the artifacts of the sisters' murder: the shoes, handbags, and papers, as well as the long braid of hair which Dedé cut from María Teresa's head in the morgue. There is also a blood stained handkerchief that came from the murder scene. This is a very moving and touching display. There is also a library, bookstore, and souvenir shop. On November 25, 2000 (the fortieth anniversary of the Mirabal sisters' assassination) the remains of the sisters were moved to the gravest on the museum grounds. The three sisters are buried together along with Manolo, Minerva's husband.
The original Mirabal home is still located close to the museum in Ojo de Auga. There is a monument in the park across the street from the home. On the top of this monument are represented 3 butterflies. Also here is the chassis of the jeep from which the ladies took their fateful ride. There is damage to both the front and rear of the vehicle because of the staged crash
The International Day Against Violence Towards Women was accepted on December 1999. At the 54th session of the United Nations General Assembly was adopted Resolution 54/134. This resolution declared November 25th the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This day was chosen because on November 25th, 1960 is when the three Mirabal sisters, Patria, Minerva, and Maria Teresa, from Dominican Republic were violently assassinated for their political activism. The sisters, known as the "Unforgettable Butterflies," became a symbol of the crisis of violence against women in Latin America. This date was chosen to commemorate their lives and promote global recognition of gender violence, and has been observed in Latin America since the 1980s.
The Mirabal Sisters Museum
Contact: 809- 577-2704
Directions: Km 1, Carretera Salcedo Tenares, Conuco, Salcedo, Dominican Republic
"What matters is the quality of a person. What someone is inside themselves " -- Maria Teresa (Maté) Mirabal
Patricia, Marie and Minerva Mirabal
Original Images Owned by the Mirabal Family
SIGHTS AND HISTORY - People History
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Real Life and Times in the Dominican Republic
