Policarpa Salavarrieta (c. 1795-1817), also known as "La Pola," used her position as a seamstress to spy on Spanish Royalists and send vital information to her revolutionary compatriots.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
Today’s spy is considered one of the most renowned heroines in Colombian history. During the fight to gain Colombia’s independence from Spain, she used her position as a seamstress to spy on Spanish Royalists and send vital information to her revolutionary compatriots. Though she eventually paid the ultimate price for her work, she has since become a symbol of freedom and unwavering strength in the country she loved so much.
Policarpa Salavarrieta, known as La Pola, was born sometime around 1795 likely in the city of Gaduas, Colombia. She was one of nine children born into a highly respected, though not aristocratic family.
At some point in her early years, La Pola’s father acquired a house in the much larger capital city of Bogota and moved the family there. Unfortunately, they found that the living conditions in Bogota were fairly abysmal compared to what they were used to. Things only got worse in 1802 when a smallpox epidemic broke out in the capital, killing both of La Pola’s parents and two of her siblings.
La Pola, who at this point was only about 7 years old, and her brother Bibiano were taken in by their older sister Caterina, who spent the next couple of years saving enough money to move them back to Gaduas.
During this period in Colombia, there was significant unrest and active fighting against the Spanish colonizers and their local supporters. Gaduas was known as a hub of revolutionary activity, and La Pola’s circle was particularly politically charged. Members of her family, including Caterina’s husband and her brother Bibiano, were involved in battles with the Spanish and Spanish royalists. This instilled a deep sense of patriotism and self-sacrifice in La Pola.
While her brother and brother in law were off fighting the colonizers, La Pola earned an education, which was unusual for a woman at that time. She also trained as a seamstress.
Following her schooling, La Pola became increasingly involved in politics and the revolutionary movement. This didn’t go unnoticed by the authorities, and soon La Pola and Bibiano were forced to flee Gaduas and head back to Bogota where they were less well known and unlikely to be recognized. They carried with them a letter of introduction from two major patriotic guerrilla leaders in the hopes of connecting up with like minded groups in the capitol.
It didn’t take long for La Pola to become ingrained in Bogota’s revolutionary scene. When leaders learned that she was a trained seamstress, they encouraged her to get a job as the official seamstress to the Spanish royalists in Bogota. This position allowed her access to the royalist scene, and to vital information about strategy, weapons, troop numbers and movements, which she passed back to her compatriots. She and Bibiano also used this access to recruit new members to their cause.
La Pola would likely have continued her spying and recruitment duties for a long time had one of her compatriots not gotten caught. He was captured with documents that were easily linked to La Pola, though this may not have been immediately obvious to the royalists. When the revolutionaries in Bogota learned about the capture, they began to flee the city. In the chaos, another of La Pola’s compatriots was caught with yet another document that directly implicated La Pola. This time, she was immediately arrested for espionage and revolutionary activity.
On November 10th, 1817, La Pola was sentenced to death by firing squad. Only four days later, she was escorted by two priests to her execution. The priests implored La Pola to ask for forgiveness, but she refused. Instead, she cursed the Spanish regime in Colombia and the oppression of her people.
Before the final shots rang out, La Pola addressed the crowd, saying “Although I am a woman and young, I have more than enough courage to suffer this death and a thousand more!”
These words have since become enshrined in Colombian history.
Following La Pola’s execution, her body was collected by two of her brothers and was buried at the Church of San Augustin in Bogota.
In the time since her death, La Pola has become a towering figure in the country’s history. She has been depicted on Colombian currency many times over the years, as well as on Colombian stamps. In 1967, a law was passed declaring November 14th the “Day of the Colombian Woman” in honor of the anniversary of La Pola’s death.
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