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The Mirabal sisters Patria, Dedé, Minerva, and María Teresa were reared in Ojo de Agua, Dominican Republic in a home of privilege at the time of the Trujillo dictatorship. During the 1950's when the sisters were young women an underground anti-Trujillo movement began to proliferate. One by one, Minerva, María Teresa, and Patria Mirabal became involved in the resistance. The sisters known as "las Mariposas" ("the butterflies") became inspirational leaders of the resistance. The government imprisoned the three sister's husbands. On the evening of November 25, 1960, as the Mirabal sisters returned home from visiting their husbands in the Puerto Plata prison, soldiers ambushed their jeep. The three women and their driver were strangled and clubbed to death. To hide the murder, the bodies were placed in the jeep and rolled off a cliff. The Dominican public did not believe the government's story of the "accident". Historians consider their murder a turning point in the downfall of Trujillo dictatorship. Following the Mirabal murder support for the dictator waned as the resistance gained momentum. The Catholic Church became openly critical of the regime. On May 30, 1961, Trujillo was ambushed and assassinated. |
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The story of the Mirabal sisters is beautifully told by Julia Alvarez in her national best seller, In the Time of Butterflies. A movie by the same title starring Salma Hayek, Marc Anthony, Edward James Olmos is also available for rental and purchase. |
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Bachata is believed to have originated from the Conga. Bachata emerged in the early 1960s from the Pan-Latino traditions of guitar music. In its early form the bachata was a part of a subcategory of romantic guitar music as opposed to more danceable music such as the Cuban son or guaracha. In later decades, as
musicians began speeding up the rhythm, dancers developed a new bachata dance step. The bachata's easy going tempo and smooth style offer a break from the fast tempo of the merengue and salsa. It is debatable whether the Mirabal sister ever attended a bachata because during the 1960's the music was still not acceptable
among the upper classes. The Mirabal resistance to Trujillo was for the benefit of all Dominicans.
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Amanda and Lalo Dance the Bachata |
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| The Merengue is the national dance of the Dominican Republic. The Molina parade team selected a traditional merengue as their project in honor of the Mirabal sisters. They performed their project at the Dance for the Planet Festival and during several parades. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
