Overview:
Pedro Santana, the primary president of the Dominican Republic, was born in 1801 in Hinche—modern-day Haiti—in accordance with official Dominican information.
Editor’s Word: This text was initially printed on Nov. 17, 2023, as a part of Did You Know, a Haitian Occasions collection rooted in Haitian heritage and boundless curiosity. The collection was championed by the late Haitian music journalist and Haitian Occasions columnist Ralph Delly, whose ardour for tradition and storytelling continues to encourage our archive and present work.
Pedro Santana, a navy commander generally known as “Libertador de la Patria,” served as the primary President of the Dominican Republic from 1844 to 1848. He served two extra phrases, from 1853 to 1856 and 1858 to 1862.
Slightly-known reality is that Santana was born within the northern border area of the island in Hincha — what we name Hinche at this time in Haiti — on June 29, 1801. This, in accordance with paperwork filed within the Dominican Republic’s national archives. His mom was Petronila Familias, a lady of Spanish Canarian descent. Each of Santana’s mother and father had been landowners in that central border zone.
On the time, the island of Hispaniola was cut up between the Spanish territory of Santo Domingo and the French territory Saint Domingue. It was not unusual for individuals to be born on elements of the island thought-about belonging to the opposite colonial energy, a legacy that has continued into trendy instances with the present impartial nations.
In his youth, Santana was a famous basic through the Dominican War of Independence, 1844 to 1856. Not like many political opponents who wished to ascertain an impartial Dominican state, he sought to reintegrate Hispaniola into the Spanish Empire.
All through his phrases as president, Santana additionally confronted Haitian invasions by the Haitian ruler Faustin Soulouque.
Santana died in Santo Domingo on June 14, 1864. His stays are on the National Pantheon of the Dominican Republic.