15 Facts About Policarpa Salavarrieta

Policarpa Salavarrieta was captured by Spanish Royalists and ultimately executed for high treason.

Policarpa Salavarrieta is considered a heroine of the independence of Colombia.

The name Salavarrieta is known only by the names her family and friends used.

Policarpa Salavarrieta's father referred to her as Apolonia in his will, which Salvador Contreras, the priest who formalized the testament on 13 December 1802, confirmed.

Policarpa Salavarrieta was closest to her brother, Bibiano, as she became his de facto guardian when her parents died.

Policarpa Salavarrieta's contemporaries referred to her simply as "La Pola," but Policarpa Salavarrieta is the name by which she is remembered and commemorated.

The records seem to indicate that the Policarpa Salavarrieta family lived in Guaduas and moved to Bogota after Manuel was born in 1796.

History indicates that Policarpa Salavarrieta was not involved in politics before 1810, but by the time she moved back to Bogota in 1817, she was actively participating in political issues.

Policarpa Salavarrieta visited the revolutionaries in prison, bringing them food, and keeping them informed with the patriot efforts.

Policarpa Salavarrieta secretly recruited young men to the Revolutionary cause; with assistance from her brother.

Policarpa Salavarrieta knew that her capture was near, so she warned the fellow revolutionaries to destroy incriminating evidence, for her sake, as well as others.

The names of involved patriots was written on many documents, therefore, Policarpa Salavarrieta wanted the documents away from the hands of royal officers.

Policarpa Salavarrieta's operations ran smoothly and undetected until the Almeyda brothers were apprehended while carrying information back to the insurgents outside Bogota.

Policarpa Salavarrieta was to die with six other prisoners and her lover, Alejo Sabarain, in the Bolivar Square.

Policarpa Salavarrieta has been depicted on Colombian Currency many times over the years, her portrait for a long time the only one of an actual female person.