1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,560 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, welcome to the show. I'm Eves 3 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:10,799 Speaker 1: and you're listening to This Day in History Class, a 4 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: show that uncovers a little bit more about history every day. 5 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:26,120 Speaker 1: Today is November nineteen. The day was November four, eighteen seventeen. 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: Seamstress inspired Polycarpa Salavarieta was executed for high treason. Salavati 7 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: Atta was born somewhere in the Vice Royalty of New Granada, 8 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,080 Speaker 1: which included present day of Columbia, sometime in the early 9 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,520 Speaker 1: to mid seventeen nineties. Because her birth certificate has never 10 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,599 Speaker 1: been found, exactly when she was born and what her 11 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:53,279 Speaker 1: legal given name was is unclear. Apollonia, Apollinaria, and La 12 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: Pola are all names that have been used to refer 13 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 1: to her, but Polycarpa is the name she used later 14 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: in life and that he's best remembered by today. When 15 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: she was young, her family lived in Guaduas and Bogota. 16 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:10,320 Speaker 1: Little is known about her early life, but it's likely 17 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: that the family was well off, considering the appearance of 18 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: her childhood home in Guaduas in eighteen o two. While 19 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: the family was living in Bogota, a smallpox epidemic caused 20 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: the death of her parents and two of her siblings. 21 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: The tragedy caused the family to break apart. As the 22 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:31,280 Speaker 1: oldest child, Katarina went back to Guaduas with Polycarpa and 23 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: their brother. They lived with relatives there until Katarina got 24 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 1: married and took Polycarpa and their brother with her. Polycarpa 25 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: lived in the Vice Royalty of New Granada during a 26 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: time known as La Patria Boba, which means the foolish fatherland. 27 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: The period from eighteen ten to eighteen sixteen was marked 28 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: by conflict over government and instability. Though many details of 29 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: this time in her life remained unconfirmed, it's known that 30 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: she was a seamstress and also may have been a teacher. 31 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: When the family she worked for moved to Bogota, she 32 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: went along with them. But the time she got to 33 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: Bogota in eighteen seventeen, Polycarpa was taking part in revolutionary activities. 34 00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: Bogota was a stronghold in the Spanish reconquest of New Granada, 35 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: and Royalist agents and soldiers abounded in the city. Polycarpa 36 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: was daring, and she began spying for the revolutionary forces. 37 00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: She stayed with Andrea Riquarte de Losano, who provided her 38 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: home as a base of intelligence gathering and resistance. She 39 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: and other women in her circle would gather information in 40 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: drawing rooms and taverns. They would urge patriots forced into 41 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,680 Speaker 1: joining the royalist army to dessert. They sold uniforms and 42 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:50,640 Speaker 1: collected money, and they organized wagon transportation. Bibiano, Polycarpa's brother, 43 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: also assisted her in revolutionary activities. They recruited more people 44 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: to join the revolutionary cause, but Polycarpa was under suspicion 45 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:03,360 Speaker 1: by the royal bureaucracy, and she was soon captured and questioned. 46 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: Authorities found documents that incriminated Polycarpa, including letters that she 47 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: had signed and given to soldiers urging them to join 48 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: the patriots. One man reportedly her lover, was arrested with 49 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: a list of royalists and patriots that she had given him. 50 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:22,519 Speaker 1: After a court martial was held in Bogota in November, 51 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,480 Speaker 1: Polycarpa and several other defendants were sentenced to be executed 52 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: by firing squad. Her execution was set for the morning 53 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 1: of November four, eighteen seventeen. She has since been honored 54 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 1: as a heroine in Columbia's fight for independence. In nineteen 55 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: sixty seven, Colombia declared November fourteenth the Day of the 56 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: Colombian Woman, in honor of Polycarpa Salavaietta. I'm Eves Jeffcote 57 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 58 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. You can find us on social 59 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: media at t d I h C Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, 60 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: and Facebook. Email still works. Send us a note at 61 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: this day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks for listening, and 62 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 1: I hope you'll be back tomorrow. For more podcasts from 63 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 64 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.