Antonia Maria Teresa Mirabal

Early LifeBorn: October 15th, 1936

One of four sisters Minerva, Mercedes, and Dede

Had a very wealthy family, her father was a very successful businessman.

Her family lost a good deal of wealth as Trujillo took over.

(Boston Latin School)

EducationAs the youngest Maria followed her sisters footsteps all the way.

She attended Inmaculada Concepción as her sisters did.

She then graduated from Liceo de San Francisco de Macorís and took an interest in Mathematics.

She then went on to the University of Santo Domingo and studied math.

(Anna H. Shaw)

Motion to PoliticsMaria did as she did for school during the rest of her life, she followed her sisters.

She married a man by the name of Leandro Guzmán an engineer that was very anti-Trujillo.

Her sister Minerva was also very anti-Trujillo and because of that she joined a movement against Trujillo called the Movement of the Fourteenth.

They were also known as the butterflies.

(Boston Latin School/Shaw)

Life as a ButterflyHer husband was made treasurer of the butterflies and she helped with her sisters with getting people to join the movement.

The movement caught fire when much of the middle class of the Dominican joined but that was also the point when Trujillo had had enough.

Maria and Leandro were both arrested by Trujillo’s men as were 100 other members of the Butterflies.

(Boston Latin School)

Reaction to the Arrests The people of the country did not react well and the butterflies membership went booming when people found out what Trujillo did.

When Trujillo was informed of what was happening to his country he had decided to releases all the women they arrested which turns out to be a mistake.

The Catholic Church had started to become anti-Trujillo and many Catholics joined the movement.

(Boston Latin School)

Maria’s Second Arrest

After Trujillo saw that releasing the women didn’t help gain to many supporters he decided that Maria should be arrested again.

Minerva was with Maria when they arrested her and they arrested Minerva as well.

They took Maria to La Cuarenta the Dominican equivalent to Alcatraz.

There she was imprisoned for months and tortured.

They then transported her to a different prison and she was released weeks later.

(Anna H. Shaw)

Maria Arrested… again… again

They then arrested her for a third time she was taken back to La Cuarenta and was released in August of 1960.

She was under the charge of threatening the security of the state

She was originally sentenced to 5 years then it was shortened to 3.

However, she was released early as she was both other times she was arrested.

(Boston Latin School)

Maria’s DeathAfter being arrested 3 times Maria thought that it was a good idea to go to husband to visit him in jail with 2 other sisters visiting their husbands.

Trujillo heard they were there and sent men after them.

The men found the sisters and chased them to a sugarcane field.

Then on November 25th, 1960 Minerva, Mercedes, and Maria were murdered.

(Anna H. Shaw)

Nation’s ReactionThe sisters cause had really caught fire when the Dominican learned of their death.

They grew in numbers and took control and a year later Trujillo was assassinated and the sisters though they died a year before had accomplished what they set out to do.

(Anna H. Shaw)

Boston Latin School. “Maria Teresa Mirabal”. The Butterflies. 2000. 09/27/09< http://www.learntoquestion.com/seevak/groups/2000/sites/mirabal/English/index.html >

Ann Howard Shaw. “Mirabal Sister’s”. Ann Howard Shaw Center. 2009. 9/27/09< http://sthweb.bu.edu/shaw/anna-howard-shaw-center/biography?view=mediawiki&article=Mirabal_Sisters >

Work Cited