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81-536: The capital of the province, Pedernales , was originally called Juan López, who was a Spanish inhabitant who had settled in the area around the 19th century. The province was called Pedernales after the river located on the border with Haiti , in which flint is abundant. The indigenous people of the Dominican Republic, the Taíno , used them to make sharp tools, such as axes and arrowheads. The province of Pedernales

162-650: A semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSh ). Rainfall is highest in September and October when tropical cyclones may strike the whole island, and temperatures are generally warmer during the day than in much of the tropics. 18°02′N 71°45′W  /  18.033°N 71.750°W  / 18.033; -71.750 Rafael Trujillo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina ( / t r uː ˈ h iː j oʊ / troo- HEE -yoh , Spanish: [rafaˈel leˈoniðas tɾuˈxiʝo moˈlina] ; 24 October 1891 – 30 May 1961), nicknamed El Jefe ( Spanish: [el ˈxefe] ),

243-499: A 1944 plot and then published their correspondence to discredit him. Lescot fled into exile in 1946 after demonstrations against him. In 1947, Dominican exiles, including Juan Bosch , had concentrated in Cuba. With the approval and support of Cuba's government, led by Ramón Grau , an expeditionary force was trained with the intention of invading the Dominican Republic and overthrowing Trujillo. However, international pressure, including from

324-484: A collection of over ten thousand. Trujillo doused himself with perfume and liked gossip. His sexual appetite was rapacious, and he preferred mulatta women with full bodies. Trujillo was married three times and kept other women as mistresses. On 13 August 1913, Trujillo married Aminta Ledesma Lachapelle, with whom he had 2 daughters, Julia, who died as an infant, and Flor de Oro, who died of lung cancer in 1978. On 30 March 1927, Trujillo married Bienvenida Ricardo Martínez,

405-437: A girl from Monte Cristi and the daughter of Buenaventura Ricardo Heureaux. A year later he met María de los Angeles Martínez Alba (nicknamed " la españolita ", or "the little Spanish girl"), and had an affair with her. He divorced Bienvenida in 1935 and married Martínez. A year later he had a daughter with Bienvenida, named Odette Trujillo Ricardo. Trujillo's three children with María Martínez were Rafael Leónidas Ramfis , who

486-583: A grand scale, and went into meat and milk production, operations that soon evolved into monopolies . Salt, sugar, tobacco, lumber, and the lottery were other industries which he or his family members dominated. Family members also received positions within the government and the army, including one of Trujillo's sons who was made a colonel in the Dominican Army when he was only four years old. Two of Trujillo's brothers, Héctor and José Arismendy, also held positions in his government. José Arismendy Trujillo oversaw

567-503: A naturalized US citizen, the attempted murder of Betancourt, a staunch critic of Trujillo, and the murder of the Mirabal sisters , who were among his most notable opponents, in 1960, eroded relations between the Dominican Republic and the international community and ushered in OAS sanctions and economic and military assistance to Dominican opposition forces. After this momentous year, large segments of

648-523: A person could be arrested for vagrancy without one. Those who did not join or contribute to the party did so at their own risk. Opponents of the régime were mysteriously killed. In 1934, Trujillo, who had promoted himself to generalissimo of the army, was up for re-election . By then, there was no organized opposition left in the country, and he was re-elected unopposed. In addition to the widely rigged (and regularly uncontested) elections, he instated "civic reviews" with large crowds shouting their loyalty to

729-485: A response to the disaster, Trujillo placed the Dominican Republic under martial law and began to rebuild the city. He renamed the rebuilt capital of the Dominican Republic, Ciudad Trujillo ("Trujillo City") in his honor and had streets, monuments, and landmarks to honor him throughout the country. On 16 August 1931, the first anniversary of his inauguration, Trujillo made the Dominican Party , founded two weeks earlier,

810-519: A strategic point for ships, due to its geographical location. This attracted several people who later settled on the shores of the island. The Spanish also kept cattle on the island for the new maritime expeditions. When Hispaniola was divided into a French and a Spanish colony , the Pedernales River was set as a border limit. From 1844, until the signing of the territorial division treaty (1929-1936), there were several incidents and border conflicts in

891-510: A telegraph operator, which he held for about three years. Shortly after Trujillo, aided by his brother José Arismendy Petán , turned to petty crime: cattle rustling, check counterfeiting, and postal robbery. He spent several months in prison, which did not deter him, as he later formed a violent gang of robbers called The 42 . In 1916, the United States began its occupation of the Dominican Republic following 28 revolutions in 50 years. At

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972-589: A third term in the United States, Trujillo ran for president again and was elected unopposed. He served for two terms, which he lengthened to five years each. In 1952, under pressure from the Organization of American States , he ceded the presidency to his brother, Héctor . Despite being officially out of power, Rafael Trujillo organized a major national celebration to commemorate 25 years of his rule in 1955. Gold and silver commemorative coins were minted with his image. Brutal oppression of actual or perceived members of

1053-471: Is located in the southwest of the Dominican Republic, sharing its borders with the neighboring Haiti. It is located 330 km (kilometers) from Santo Domingo , the Dominican capital. It is part of the region called Enriquillo, and it is the seventh largest province in the country, with 2,042.40 km (square kilometers). It borders the province of Independencia to the north, and the province of Barahona to

1134-483: Is the least densely populated province in the Dominican Republic. For 2010, the total population reached 31,587 people: 16,895 men and 14,692 women, with a density of 15.7 inhabitants / km (inhabitants per square kilometer). The predominant ethnic groups are 78% mulatto or mestizo, 13% black and 9% white. Until 1927, before the Rafael Trujillo regime, the area was inhabited almost entirely by Haitians . Together with

1215-813: The United States government . During World War II , Trujillo symbolically sided with the Allies and declared war on Germany , Italy and Japan on 11 December 1941. While there was no military participation, the Dominican Republic thus became a founding member of the United Nations . Trujillo encouraged diplomatic and economic ties with the United States, but his policies often caused friction with other nations of Latin America, especially Costa Rica and Venezuela . He maintained friendly relations with Franco of Spain , Perón of Argentina , and Somoza of Nicaragua . Towards

1296-655: The Yaque del Sur River . In 1934 he banned the slash-and-burn method of clearing land for agriculture, set up a forest warden agency to protect the park system, and banned the logging of pine trees without his permission. In the 1950s the Trujillo regime commissioned a study on the hydroelectric potential of damming the Dominican Republic's waterways. The commission concluded that only forested waterways could support hydroelectric dams , so Trujillo banned logging in potential river watersheds. After his assassination in 1961, logging resumed in

1377-502: The 1930s, and exiles from Spain following its civil war . At the 1938 Évian Conference the Dominican Republic was the only country willing to accept many Jews and offered to accept up to 100,000 refugees on generous terms. In 1940 an agreement was signed and Trujillo donated 26,000 acres (110 km ) of his properties for settlements. The first settlers arrived in May 1940; eventually, some 800 settlers came to Sosúa and most moved later on to

1458-563: The 1937 Dominican championship at Estadio Trujillo in Ciudad Trujillo. Trujillo was energetic and fit. He was generally quite healthy but suffered from chronic lower urinary infections and, later, prostate problems. In 1934, Dr. Georges Marion was called from Paris to perform three urologic procedures on Trujillo. Over time Trujillo acquired numerous homes. His favorite was Casa Caobas , on Estancia Fundacion near San Cristóbal . He also used Estancia Ramfis (which, after 1953, became

1539-437: The 2012 census. Urban population are those living in the seats ( cabeceras literally heads) of municipalities or of municipal districts. Rural population are those living in the districts ( Secciones literally sections) and neighborhoods ( Parajes literally places) outside of them. For comparison with the municipalities and municipal districts of other provinces see the list of municipalities and municipal districts of

1620-562: The American Secretary of State Cordell Hull signed the Hull–Trujillo Treaty, whereby the United States relinquished control over the collection and application of customs revenues, and the Dominican Republic committed to deposit consolidated government revenues in a special bank account to guarantee repayment of foreign debt. The government was free to set custom duties with no restrictions. This diplomatic success gave Trujillo

1701-637: The Dominican Republic . Pedernales, Dominican Republic The Dominican city of Pedernales is the capital of the Pedernales Province , in the Dominican Republic . It is located in the southwest of the country, on the Dominican Republic–Haiti border , and has a crossing to the Haitian town of Anse-à-Pitres . These two parks, along with Lake Enriquillo and adjoining zones of

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1782-509: The Dominican Republic, and bridges and public buildings were named in his honor. The nation's newspapers had praise for Trujillo as part of the front page, and license plates included slogans such as "¡Viva Trujillo!" and "Año del Benefactor de la Patria" (Year of the Benefactor of the Nation). An electric sign was erected in Ciudad Trujillo so that "Dios y Trujillo" could be seen at night as well as in

1863-519: The Dominican Republic, compounding the dictator's paranoia. Trujillo began to interfere more and more in the domestic affairs of neighboring countries. He expressed great contempt for Venezuela's president Rómulo Betancourt ; an established and outspoken opponent of Trujillo, Betancourt associated with Dominicans who had plotted against the dictator. Trujillo developed an obsessive personal hatred of Betancourt and supported numerous plots by Venezuelan exiles to overthrow him. This pattern of intervention led

1944-531: The Dominican Republic. Squatters burned down the forests for agriculture, and logging companies clear-cut parks. In 1967, President Joaquín Balaguer launched military strikes against illegal logging. Trujillo encouraged foreign investment in the Dominican Republic, particularly from Americans. He gave a concession with mineral rights in the Azua Basin to Clem S. Clarke , an oilman from Shreveport , Louisiana . Trujillo tended toward peaceful coexistence with

2025-478: The Dominican Republic. The brutal murder on Friday, 25 November 1960, of the three Mirabal sisters , Patria, María Teresa and Minerva, who opposed Trujillo's dictatorship, further increased discontent with his repressive rule. The dictator had become an embarrassment to the United States, and relations became especially strained after the Betancourt incident. Trujillo's "central arch" was his instinct for power. This

2106-453: The Dominican establishment, including the military, turned against him. On 30 May 1961, Trujillo was assassinated by a group of conspirators led by general Antonio Imbert Barrera . In the immediate aftermath, Trujillo's son Ramfis took temporary control of the country, executing most of the conspirators. By November 1961, the Trujillo family was pressured into exile by the titular president Joaquín Balaguer , who introduced reforms to open up

2187-659: The Enriquillo and Pedernales region. In 1867, the island of Alto Velo was granted to a North American company. Salt extraction was also started in the Beata lagoons. The settlement of Pedernales began in 1927, during the government of Horacio Vásquez . It was included in the border colonization plan, which aimed to integrate the area with the rest of the country. Its first administrator was Socrates Nolasco, appointed on April 13, 1927, by Rafael Espaillat, Minister of Agriculture and Immigration (a descendant of Ulises Francisco Espaillat ). He

2268-613: The Foreign Office), Estancia Rhadames , and a home at Playa de Najayo. Less frequently he stayed at places he owned in Santiago de los Caballeros , Constanza , La Cumbre , San José de las Matas , and elsewhere. He maintained a penthouse at the Embajador Hotel in the capital. While Trujillo was nominally a Roman Catholic , his devotion was limited to a perfunctory role in public affairs; he placed faith in local folk religion . He

2349-664: The Garde d'Haiti, and Élie Lescot , at that time the Haitian ambassador in Ciudad Trujillo (Santo Domingo). After the settlement, when further border incursions occurred, Trujillo initiated the Parsley Massacre . Known as La Masacre del Perejil in Spanish, the massacre was started by Trujillo in October 1937. Claiming that Haiti was harboring his former Dominican opponents, he ordered an attack on

2430-523: The Municipality Pedernales, form the first biosphere reserve in the country. The official foundation of the colony of Pedernales came about in the year 1927 during the Government of Horacio Vásquez, who appointed as Administrator the well-known writer Sócrates Nolasco . The colonists came mostly from Duvergé . The first one was Mr. Genaro Pérez Rocha, a prosperous rancher, who would later bring

2511-524: The Patriotic Coalition of Citizens (Spanish: Coalición patriotica de los ciudadanos ), with Estrella as his running mate. The other candidates became targets of harassment by the army. When it became apparent that the army would allow only Trujillo to campaign unhindered, the other candidates pulled out. Ultimately, the Trujillo-Estrella ticket was proclaimed victorious with an implausible 99% of

Pedernales Province - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-565: The SIM, the Servicio de Inteligencia Militar , efficiently organized by Johnny Abbes , who operated in Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, New York, Costa Rica, and Venezuela. Some cases reached international notoriety such as the disappearance of Jesús de Galíndez and the murder of the Mirabal sisters , which further eroded Trujillo's critical support by the US government. After Trujillo approved an assassination attempt on

2673-470: The Trujillo dictatorship has been judged more prominent and more brutal than its contemporaries. Trujillo remains a polarizing figure in the Dominican Republic, as the sheer longevity of his rule makes a detached evaluation difficult. While his supporters credit him for bringing long-term stability, economic growth and prosperity, doubling life expectancy of average Dominicans and multiplying the GDP, critics denounce

2754-577: The Trujillo government's extensive use of state terrorism was prolific even beyond national borders, including the attempted assassination of Venezuelan President Rómulo Betancourt in 1960, the abduction and disappearance in New York City of the Basque exile Jesús Galíndez in 1956, and the murder of Spanish writer José Almoina in Mexico, also in 1960. These acts, particularly the presumed murder of Galíndez,

2835-682: The United States example of two presidential terms, he stated, "I voluntarily, and against the wishes of my people, refuse re-election to the high office." In fact, a vigorous re-election campaign had been launched in the middle of 1937 but the international uproar that followed the Haitian massacre later that year forced Trujillo to announce his "return to private life." Consequently, the Dominican Party nominated Trujillo's handpicked successor, 61-year-old vice-president Jacinto Peynado , with Manuel de Jesús Troncoso his running mate. They appeared alone on

2916-520: The United States, made the exiles abort the expedition. In turn, when Fulgencio Batista was in power, Trujillo initially supported anti-Batista supporters of Carlos Prío Socarrás in Oriente Province in 1955; however, weapons Trujillo sent were soon inherited by Fidel Castro 's insurgents when Prío allied with Castro; Dominican-made Cristóbal carbines and hand grenades became the rebels' standard weapons. After 1956, when Trujillo saw that Castro

2997-455: The United States. Refugees from Europe broadened the Dominican Republic's tax base and added more whites to the predominantly mixed-race nation. Trujillo's government favored white refugees over others while Dominican troops expelled illegal immigrants, resulting in the 1937 Parsley Massacre of Haitian migrants. The Trujillo regime greatly expanded the Vedado del Yaque, a nature reserve around

3078-643: The Venezuelan President Rómulo Ernesto Betancourt Bello , the Organization of American States and the United States blocked Trujillo's access to US sugar quota profits. In April 1962, after the flight of the Trujillo family from the country, Attorney General Eduardo Antonio Garcia Vasquez reported that in the previous five years, the former regime was responsible for 5,700 deaths, either as known murders, or of those missing but presumed dead. The SIM often denied victims' families

3159-557: The Venezuelan government to take its case against Trujillo to the Organization of American States (OAS), a move that infuriated Trujillo, who ordered his agents to plant a bomb in Betancourt's car. The assassination attempt, carried out on Friday, 24 June 1960, injured but did not kill the Venezuelan president. The Betancourt incident inflamed world opinion against Trujillo. Outraged OAS members voted unanimously to sever diplomatic relations with his government and impose economic sanctions on

3240-499: The ballot in the 1938 election. Trujillo kept his positions as generalissimo of the army and leader of the Dominican Party. It was understood that Peynado was merely a puppet, and Trujillo still held all governing power in the nation. Peynado increased the size of the electric "Dios y Trujillo" sign and died on 7 March 1940, with Troncoso serving out the rest of the term. However, in 1942, with US President Franklin Roosevelt having run for

3321-418: The border that slaughtered tens of thousands of Haitians as they tried to escape. The number of dead is still unknown, but it is now calculated between 12,000 and 30,000. The Dominican military used machetes to murder and decapitate many of the victims; they also took people to the port of Montecristi, where many victims were thrown into the sea to drown with their hands and feet bound. The Haitian response

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3402-620: The budget for national defense. A foreign legion was formed to defend Haiti, as it was expected that Castro might invade the Haitian part of the island first and remove François Duvalier as well. A Cuban plane with 56 fighting men landed near Constanza , Dominican Republic, on Sunday, 14 June 1959, and six days later more invaders brought by two yachts landed at the north coast. However, the Dominican Army prevailed. In turn, in August 1959, Johnny Abbes attempted to support an anti-Castro group led by Escambray near Trinidad, Cuba . The attempt, however,

3483-503: The colonial era that wanted to reach the Western expanse of the island. In addition, its natural conditions allow the nesting of seabirds and other endemic species. The Taíno arrived in Hispaniola around the 8th century A.D. They lived from agriculture, fishing, hunting, and gathering fruits. At that time, the island was divided into 5 chiefdoms or regions. The Province of Pedernales occupies

3564-674: The commander of the National Police in 1924, he was named brigadier general in 1928, Trujillo militarized the police, turning it into an army. It evolved into a de facto independent body under his control. A rebellion or coup d'état against President Vásquez broke out in February 1930 in Santiago. Trujillo secretly cut a deal with the rebel leader Rafael Estrella Ureña . In return for Trujillo letting Estrella take power, Estrella would allow Trujillo to run for president in new elections . As

3645-501: The creation of the main radio station, La Voz Dominicana , and later the television station, the fourth in the Caribbean. By 1937 Trujillo's annual income was about $ 1.5 million ($ 32 million in 2023); at the time of his death the state took over 111 Trujillo-owned companies. His love of fine and ostentatious clothing was displayed in elaborate uniforms and suits, of which he collected almost two thousand. Fond of neckties, he amassed

3726-565: The day. Eventually, even churches were required to post the slogan "Dios en el cielo, Trujillo en la tierra" (God in Heaven, Trujillo on Earth). As time went on, the order of the phrases was reversed (Trujillo on Earth, God in Heaven). Trujillo was recommended for the Nobel Peace Prize by his admirers, but the committee declined the suggestion. Trujillo was eligible to run again in 1938, but, citing

3807-405: The east. Pedernales is located in a geomorphological region known as Procurrente de Barahona. The area of Pedernales has some of the most arid lands in the country. It is formed by successive marine terraces . The lowest part of these is on the edge of the coast, less than 100 m s. n. m. (meters above sea level). As one moves away from the sea, the elevations grow to 400 m. Upon entering the north,

3888-452: The end of his rule, his relationship with the United States deteriorated. Early on, Trujillo determined that Dominican financial affairs had to be put in order, and that included ending the United States's role as collector of Dominican customs—a situation that had existed since 1907 and was confirmed in a 1924 convention signed at the end of the occupation. Negotiations started in 1936 and lasted four years. On 24 September 1940, Trujillo and

3969-569: The first resident families who came from Duvergé. In the year 1937 the highway was built to join this locality and Oviedo, in whose building 500 men participated, divided into brigades of 10 each. By Resolution of the City Hall of Enriquillo in 1938, Pedernales was raised to Municipal District. The name of Pedernales stems from the mineral flint ( pedernal in Spanish ), which is a very common variety of quartz of yellowish color "that produces spark with

4050-465: The founding of the province, the government imposed measures to raise the Dominican population, stop the Haitian migration, and integrate the province more into the rest of the country. The province as of June 20, 2006 is divided into the following municipalities ( municipios ) and municipal districts ( distrito municipal - M.D.) within them: The following is a sortable table of the municipalities and municipal districts with population figures as of

4131-488: The game of baseball , the dictator invited many black American players to the Dominican Republic, where they received good pay for playing on first-class, un-segregated teams. The great Negro league star Satchel Paige pitched for the Dragones de Ciudad Trujillo , a team organized by Trujillo. Paige later claimed, jokingly, that his guards positioned themselves "like a firing squad" to encourage him to pitch well. Los Dragones won

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4212-494: The government, which would in turn create more support for Trujillo. In 1936, at the suggestion of Mario Fermín Cabral , the Congress of the Dominican Republic voted overwhelmingly to change the name of the capital from Santo Domingo to Ciudad Trujillo . The province of San Cristóbal was renamed to "Trujillo" and the nation's highest peak, Pico Duarte to Pico Trujillo. Statues of "El Jefe" were mass-produced and erected across

4293-490: The ground continues to rise up to the Sierra de Bahoruco . Mount Vincent, with an elevation of about 2046 m, is the highest point of the province. The territory of Pedernales has several adjacent lands, such as Isla Beata, Isla Los Frailes, Alto Velo Island , and Cayo Piedra Negra making it a strategic place for fishermen. Historically it was considered important, as it served as an orientation for Spanish and French ships during

4374-459: The heavy-handed and violent nature of his regime, including the murder of tens of thousands, and xenophobia towards Haitians, as well as the Trujillo family's nepotism, widespread corruption and looting of the country's natural and economic resources. Rafael Leónidas Trujillo y Molina was born on 24 October 1891 in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic , into a lower-middle class family. His father

4455-421: The link". This stone is found in the river of Pedernales, which marks the southernmost part of the frontier between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Pedernales lies a short way from Bahía de las Águilas , an isolated, unspoilt beach known for its great beauty and biodiversity. Its location over a number of rain shadows through the highlands of Hispaniola from the northeasterly trade winds gives Pedernales

4536-411: The nation's sole legal political party. However, the country had effectively become a one-party state with Trujillo's inauguration. Government employees were required by law to "donate" 10% of their salaries to the national treasury and there was strong pressure on adult citizens to join the party. Members had to carry a membership card, nicknamed the " Palmita " since the cover had a palm tree on it, and

4617-615: The occasion to launch a massive propaganda campaign that presented him as the savior of the nation. A law proclaimed that the Benefactor was also now the Restaurador de la independencia financiera de la Republica (Restorer of the Republic's financial independence). Haiti formerly occupied what is today called the Dominican Republic for 22 years – from 1822 to 1844. Prior to their occupation, Spanish colonial rule prevailed. Encroachment by Haiti

4698-599: The opposition was the key feature of Trujillo's rule from the very beginning in 1930 when his gang, "The 42", led by Miguel Angel Paulino, drove through the streets in their red Packard " carro de la muerte " ("car of death"). Trujillo also maintained an execution list of people throughout the world who he felt were his direct enemies or who he felt had wronged him. He even once allowed an opposition party to form and permitted it to operate legally and openly, mainly so that he could identify those who opposed him and arrest or kill them. Imprisonments and killings were later handled by

4779-431: The province amounts to a total of 1,128, which represents only 0.004% of the total number of farms in the country, though relatively arid Pedernales has some areas where the land can be very fertile, mainly based on irrigation canals . This has allowed the cultivation of products such as cotton, beans, peanuts, bananas, cassava, coffee, bananas, corn, tobacco, coconut, among others. According to statistical data, Pedernales

4860-403: The rebels marched toward Santo Domingo, Vásquez ordered Trujillo to suppress them. However, feigning "neutrality", Trujillo kept his men in barracks, allowing Estrella's rebels to take the capital virtually unopposed. On 3 March, Estrella was proclaimed acting president, with Trujillo confirmed as head of the police and of the army. As per their agreement, Trujillo became the presidential nominee of

4941-639: The regime. The murder ushered in civil strife which concluded with the Dominican Civil War and a US-OAS intervention, eventually stabilised under a multi-party system in 1966. The Trujillo era unfolded in a Hispanic Caribbean environment particularly susceptible to dictators. In the countries of the Caribbean Basin alone, his dictatorship overlapped with those in Cuba , Nicaragua , Guatemala , El Salvador , Honduras , Venezuela and Haiti . In perspective,

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5022-480: The remains of their loved ones, disposing of them clandestinely. In the aftermath of Trujillo's assassination, very few of those arrested and killed in the subsequent crackdown had their remains returned, the majority believed by investigators from Vasquez's office to have been tossed to sharks, or were stuffed into an incinerator at nearby San Isidro airbase. Trujillo was known for his open-door policy, accepting Jewish refugees from Europe, Japanese migration during

5103-470: The territory of what was previously the chiefdom of Jaragua. When the Spanish arrived , Cacique Bohechío was the head of this chiefdom. The inhabitants of this land were characterized by their rebellion, since they were against the oppression that the Spanish subjected them. During the sixteenth century, this land was a refuge for the chief Enriquillo, a Taíno prince, as he was rebelling. In 1493, Christopher Columbus discovered Beata Island , and considered it

5184-462: The time, Trujillo was twenty-five years old and worked as a guarda campestre (overseer) at a sugar cane plantation in Boca Chica . The occupying force soon established a Dominican army constabulary to impose order. Trujillo joined the newly created National Guard in 1918 with the help of his employer along with US Major James J. MacLean, who was his maternal uncle Teódulo Pina Chevalier's friend, and

5265-577: The time, approving his rise among the ranks: he was promoted to lieutenant in 1919 and assigned to the San Pedro de Macorís garrison; he was later promoted to captain in 1922 while stationed in San Francisco de Macorís and given command of the National Guard 10th Company. In 1923 he was promoted to major and appointed Inspector of the 1st military district . President Horacio Vásquez named Trujillo

5346-480: The vote. In a note to the State Department, American ambassador Charles Boyd Curtis wrote that Trujillo received far more votes than there were actual voters. Upon taking office on 16 August, Truijllo assumed dictatorial powers which he retained for the next three decades. Two and a half weeks after Trujillo ascended to the presidency, the destructive Hurricane San Zenón hit Santo Domingo and left 2000 dead. As

5427-599: Was José Trujillo Valdez, the son of Silveria Valdez Méndez of colonial Dominican origin and José Trujillo Monagas, a Canary Islander sergeant who arrived in Santo Domingo as a member of the Spanish reinforcement troops during the annexation era . Trujillo's mother was Altagracia Julia Molina Chevalier, later known as Mamá Julia , daughter of peasant Pedro Molina Peña, also of colonial Dominican origin, and teacher Luisa Erciná Chevalier, whose parents were of creole Haitian origin. Chevalier, Trujillo's maternal grandmother,

5508-480: Was a Dominican military commander and dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic from August 1930 until his assassination in May 1961. He served as president from 1930 to 1938 and again from 1942 to 1952, ruling for the rest of his life as an unelected military strongman under figurehead presidents. His rule of 31 years, known to Dominicans as the Trujillo Era ( Spanish : El Trujillato or La Era de Trujillo ),

5589-512: Was an ongoing process, and when Trujillo took over, specifically the northwestern border region had become increasingly "Haitianized". The border was poorly defined. In 1933, and again in 1935, Trujillo met the Haitian President Sténio Vincent to settle the border issue. By 1936, they reached and signed a settlement. At the same time, Trujillo plotted against the Haitian government by linking up with General Calixte, Commander of

5670-556: Was born on 5 June 1929, María de los Ángeles del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Angelita), born in Paris on 10 June 1939, and Leónidas Rhadamés, born on 1 December 1942. Ramfis and Rhadamés were named after characters in Giuseppe Verdi 's opera Aida . In 1937, Trujillo met Lina Lovatón Pittaluga, an upper-class debutante with whom he had two children, Yolanda in 1939, and Rafael, born on 20 June 1943. In spite of Trujillo's indifference to

5751-403: Was coupled with an intense desire for money, which he recognized as a source of and support for power. Up at four in the morning, he exercised, studied the newspaper, read many reports, and completed papers before breakfast. At the office by nine, he continued his work, and took lunch by noon. After a walk, he continued to work until 7:30 pm. After dinner, he attended functions, held discussions, or

5832-664: Was driven around incognito in the city "observing and remembering." Until Santo Domingo 's National Palace was built in 1947, he worked out of the Casas Reales , the colonial-era Viceregal center of administration. Today the building is a museum; on display are his desk and chair, along with a massive collection of arms and armor that he bought. He was methodical, punctual, secretive, and guarded; he had no true friends, only associates and acquaintances. For his associates, his actions towards them were unpredictable. Trujillo and his family amassed enormous wealth. He acquired cattle lands on

5913-474: Was gaining ground, he started to support Batista with money, planes, equipment, and men. Trujillo, convinced that Batista would prevail, was very surprised when Batista showed up as a fugitive after he had been ousted . Trujillo kept Batista until August 1959 as a "virtual prisoner". Only after paying US$ 3–4 million could Batista leave for Portugal , which had granted him a visa. Castro made threats to overthrow Trujillo, and Trujillo responded by increasing

5994-457: Was in charge of coordinating the construction of the first town of Pedernales. Pedernales was created on December 16, 1957. The main activity in the province is currently agriculture, producing coffee and beef cattle. Fishing is also an important activity, being one of the provinces with the highest catch of fish and lobsters. Limestone mining in Cabo Rojo is also important. The number of farms in

6075-699: Was muted, but its government eventually called for an international investigation. Under pressure from Washington, Trujillo agreed to a reparation settlement in January 1938 of US$ 750,000. By the next year, the amount had been reduced to US$ 525,000 (US$ 11.13 million in 2024); 30 dollars per victim, of which only two cents were given to survivors because of corruption in the Haitian bureaucracy. In 1941, Lescot, who had received financial support from Trujillo, succeeded Vincent as President of Haiti. Trujillo expected that Lescot would be his puppet, but Lescot turned against him. Trujillo unsuccessfully tried to assassinate him in

6156-459: Was one of the longest for a non-royal leader in the world, and centered around a personality cult of the ruling family. It was also one of the most brutal; Trujillo's security forces, including the infamous SIM , were responsible for perhaps as many as 50,000 murders. These included between 12,000 and 30,000 Haitians in the infamous Parsley massacre in 1937, which continues to affect Dominican-Haitian relations to this day. During his long rule,

6237-404: Was registered in the school of Juan Hilario Meriño. One year later, he transferred to the school of Pablo Barinas, where he was educated by disciples of Eugenio María de Hostos and remained there for the rest of his primary schooling. As a child, he was obsessed with his appearance and would place bottle caps on his clothes that mimicked military decorations. At the age of 16, Trujillo got a job as

6318-470: Was soon promoted to second lieutenant and began training with the US Marines . Allegations of forgery were ignored when Trujillo applied and he was later acquitted by a panel of Marines following plausible accusations against him, including the alleged rape and subsequent extortion of a 16-year-old girl. Colonel Richard Malcolm Cutts trained Trujillo further and many Marine leaders praised his abilities at

6399-579: Was the daughter of Justin Victor Turenne Carrié Blaise, who was of French descent, and Eleonore Juliette Chevallier Moreau, who was part of Haiti's mulatto class. From her mother's side, Chevalier was granddaughter of Louise Moreau and her husband Bernard Chevallier Louverture, a mulatto Haitian high-ranking officer and politician that established in San Cristóbal with the Haitian occupation , from whom countless Dominican families descend, who

6480-503: Was the son of French nobleman Jean Baptiste Chevallier, Marquis de Pouilboreau and his wife Marie-Noëlle Louverture, the sister of Toussaint Louverture , the Father of the Nation of Haiti . Trujillo was the third of eleven children; he also had an adopted brother, Luis Rafael "Nene" Trujillo (1935–2005), who was raised in the home of Trujillo Molina. In 1897, at the age of six, Trujillo

6561-537: Was thwarted when Cuban troops surprised a plane he had sent when it was unloading its cargo. By the late 1950s, opposition to Trujillo's regime was starting to build to a fever pitch, especially among a younger generation who had no memory of the poverty and instability that had preceded the dictatorship. Many clamored for democratization. The Trujillo regime responded with greater repression. The Military Intelligence Service (SIM) secret police, led by Johnny Abbes , remained as ubiquitous as before. Other nations ostracized

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