General Pedro Santana is one of the most important characters in the history of the Dominican Republic; he played a crucial role in the consolidation of Independence, as well as in the subsequent struggles for its preservation.
Although on countless occasions he was celebrated for raising the Dominican flag to the highest point, he was also condemned for lowering it and placing a foreign one in its place.
Santana was exalted as many times as he was demoted, to the point of being described on several occasions as a “traitor to the Fatherland.”
Commemorating 158 years of his death, below is a breakdown of the events that marked the life of this figure and, consequently, the course of Dominican history.
early years
He was born on June 29, 1801 in Hincha, a town that at that time belonged to Dominican territory but currently corresponds to Haiti.
Concerned about the presence of Haitian troops in that town, his parents, Don Pedro Santana and Petronila Familias, decided to move further east.
As detailed by the journalist and historian Rafael Molina Morillo (1930-2017) in his work “Gloria y Repudio: Biografía de Pedro Santana”, they first stayed for a while in Gurabo, Santiago, then settled in Sabana Perdida, near Santo Domingo and finally , were permanently set in El Seibo.
His father
Santana’s military inclination comes from his father, who was a captain in the militia. Long before his son, Pedro Santana Sr. had earned a place in the Dominican history books by being one of the participants in the battle of Palo Hincado, fought in 1808.
This conflict ended French control of the island of Hispaniola and marked the beginning of the period known as “Silly Spain.”
Twin
The soldier had a twin and only brother named Ramón, with whom he grew up in the countryside, taking care of animals and watching over his father’s crops.
According to Molina Morillo, when they emigrated to another town, their family’s economic situation became precarious, so the Santana brothers had to sell firewood when they were just children in order to contribute minimally to the household.
training
Pedro Santana spent his childhood, adolescence and youth completely dedicated to livestock tasks, his day to day consisted of working hard to make wealth.
Although he did manage to obtain a comfortable economic and social position, the circumstances that surrounded him and the environment in which he lived did not allow the general to be academically trained or cultivated at an intellectual level.
It was their father who, at the age of 8, barely taught the twins how to read and write.
Marriage
Pedro Santana’s first marriage was a “marriage of convenience.”
The historian Roberto Cassá in his work “Dominican dictators in the 19th century”, tells that Santana married Micaela Rivera, a woman fifteen years older than him, who was the widow of Miguel Febles, one of the wealthiest haters of the time.
Likewise, it is pointed out that his brother Ramón, married Rivera’s daughter on the same dates, with the purpose of preserving the commercial relationship that they maintained in life with the deceased rancher.
National Independence
Santana never hid his animosity towards Haitians, which is why, in 1943, during the height of the occupation, he joined Los Trinitarios in order to promote the separatist coup.
Strategically, on February 27, 1844, the patrician Francisco del Rosario Sánchez assigned the Santana twins the Eastern Troop, which was made up of a train of laborers and peasants who, using their skills in cavalry and handling of weapons White joined the fight.
“In a tumultuous manner, the troops proclaimed Santana general in chief, valuing his leadership skills and as a sign of recognition of the social influence he enjoyed,” Cassá emphasizes in his letter. .
Battle of March 19
Upon learning of the intentions of Haitian President Charles Herard to invade Dominican territory again with some 20,000 men, on March 19, 1844, Pedro Santana intercepted the enemy group in Azua, in the company of three thousand Dominicans, frustrating the plans of the Haitian president.
As Cassá explained in his work, this military feat created the illusion in the population that “the only person who met the conditions to defeat the Haitians was Pedro Santana.”
discrepancies
The danger of Haitian occupation having momentarily receded, the differences of opinion between the general and the Trinidadians did not take long to flourish and little by little society was divided between liberals (represented by Juan Pablo Duarte) and conservatives (represented by Pedro Santana).
First president
“Pedro Santana built his leadership with the help of the myth of the invincible military chief”, quotes Roberto Cassá. It is precisely this myth that led the general to become the first constitutional president of the Dominican Republic.
Article 210
After assuming power, Santana almost immediately demanded the inclusion of article 210 of the Constitution that empowered him not to be held accountable for his actions.
This action, historically considered a “legal monstrosity”, revealed the true purposes of the general. On that he leaned to become a dictator.
“During the current war and as long as peace is not signed, the President of the Republic can freely organize the army and navy, mobilize national guards, and take all the measures he deems appropriate for the defense and security of the Nation; he being able, consequently, to give all the orders, orders and decrees that are convenient, without being subject to any responsibility, ”dictated the questioned ordinance.
Article 210 was the legal framework that he used to perpetrate a series of horrors against those who “dare to defy his order.”
Under this endorsement, he ordered the exile for life of the father of the country, Juan Pablo Duarte, the execution of María Trinidad Sánchez and her nephew, the patrician Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, as well as the death of the sentinel of the border, General Antonio Duvergé. , all of them key figures to achieve National Independence.
This execution was followed by many others that were part of an incipient but powerful repressive regime. The dictatorship generated more and more rejection and although he resigned in 1848 due to pressure, situations such as the battle of Las Carreras, which Santana led, led to his return to the presidency.
More shadows than lights?
Santana is described in the book “Historic Controversy: Santana Polemics” authored by Vetilio Alfau, as a man “of an uplifted spirit, of imperturbable courage, of utmost serenity and of faith that to a certain extent bordered on fanaticism.”
Although Santana’s military skills were not in question, his performance as a ruler was. In an unprecedented event in Dominican history, Santana tried to lease the Samaná Peninsula to the United States, a country that at that time had intentions of taking over the country and with that movement was revealing its annexationist plans.
Speaking of Santana in his work “Rufinito”, the writer Federico García Godoy warns that “his mistakes are not due to him alone, but to the environment and the time in which he lived as well as the mentality of the time in which he had to act, ignorant, full of old ideas and clumsy worries”.
Annexation to Spain
Upon assuming his third and last presidential term in 1958, the country was plunged into a great crisis, a product of the civil war that arose in the government of his predecessor, Buenaventura Báez.
In these critical conditions, as Cassá explains in his work “Dominican dictators in the 19th century”, Santana began to conceive the annexation of the Dominican territory to Spain, another negative milestone attributed to the general.
Although at first, Santana saw the United States as the first option, he declined his idea as he had been unsuccessful in leasing the Samaná Peninsula.
“Spain was interested in expanding its colonial power, so the possession of Santo Domingo came to be considered as a means of strengthening control over Cuba and Puerto Rico, which explains why Santana’s offers were well received in the ruling circles of Madrid”, is exposed in the book.
According to the historian, Santana did not believe in the possibility of the country marching on its own and lacked a concept of nation.
Almost without opposition from his officials, on March 18, 1961 he achieved the accession of the Dominican Republic to the European nation. The lowering of the tricolor flag to hoist the Spanish flag in the “Plaza de Armas” made it official.
Like any dictator, accustomed to holding absolute powers, Santana began to feel like a prisoner of the Spanish authorities and resigned in 1862 from his new position as governor.
In August 1963, the Restoration War broke out, a revolutionary movement led by the hero Gregorio Luperón who would return, after several contests against the Spanish government, the independence and sovereignty of the Dominican people.
Death
A little away from military duties, on June 14, 1864, General Pedro Santana died suddenly.
Until today, it has not been possible to establish the cause of his death because, although some archives and documents from the time indicate that he had ailments, he was never in a serious health situation.
Being a character of such character and relevance, over the years there have been several theories about the causes of his death. Some of the most mentioned is a possible poisoning or suicide.
Since 1978, by order of the then President of the Republic, Joaquín Balaguer, the remains of General Santana rest in the National Pantheon.
In recent history, a draft bill presented in the Senate in 2018 opened a debate in society by proposing the exclusion of Santana’s remains from the mausoleum, alleging that the seibano did not deserve to be in that space for having led to the annexation to Spain .