Historian uncovers New Evidence Challenging Long-Heldโข Beliefs About the Grito de lares
LARES, Puerto Rico – A historian’s deep dive into primary source documentsโข is challenging widely accepted narratives surrounding the 1868 Grito de Lares, Puerto Rico’sโ first major revolt against Spanish โcolonial rule. New findings suggestโข the iconic checkeredโ flag associated with the uprising wasn’t contemporaneously documented, andโ the โaccepted account of the revolt’s unfolding may be based on later interpretations rather โคthan eyewitness testimony.
For decades, the image of a checkered flag bearing a single star has been synonymous with โฃthe Grito de lares, representing Puerto rican nationalism andโ the pursuitโ of independence. However, historian Carlos Herrera’s researchโค into original interrogation records from the revolt โฃreveals a different picture. He discovered nearlyโค 400 mentions of flags used during the uprising, but only white and red flags are referenced – โnot the checkered design popularized decades later.
Herrera’s investigation centers on official Spanish interrogations of those involved โขin the revolt. “I saw all theโค interrogations available on the โขcry and in these only a white flag โฃand a red flag are talked about,” Herrera stated. “Throughout all the documentsโฆthe theme of the checkered flag with a star arisesโ from the book โof โPรฉrez Morris and then Don Ricardo Alegrรญa, when he takes out his press release in 1952 and again when heโฃ appears โin Spain โin 2020.”
the historian also found evidence indicating two distinct flag styles where utilized during the revolt itself. This contrasts with the singular,now-ubiquitous โcheckered flag. The shift โขinโฃ the ancient narrative, Herrera argues, occurred through subsequent interpretations โand aโ reliance on later publications.
“In the history of the cry there are things that arise from the passionโ that โฃwas brought to historical research, and when the passion goes over historical research there is no faithful count of events,” Herrera concluded, emphasizingโข the importance of grounding historical understanding in verifiable primaryโค sources. The findings prompt a re-evaluation of the symbols and stories surrounding this pivotal moment in Puerto Rican history, perhaps reshaping how the Grito de Lares is understood andโข commemorated for โขgenerations to come.