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After more than three months of atrocious blockage and finally seizing Cartagena de Indias, the pacifier Pablo Morillo started a regime of terror. Many of the inhabitants of Bocachica were exterminated without mercy not previous judgment; there were massive executions at the Plaza de la Merced, imprisonments for the crime of disloyalty to the King of Spain and other abuses of authority.
The objective of the Spaniards was to give an exemplary lesson, and the best way was to judge and execute the most recognized leaders of the city in the public square. Nine were selected for the death penalty, which were fleetingly judged without a legitimate defense.
On February 19th of 1816 the recently named War Council sentences: "Everything thoroughly examined.., the Council has condemned and condemns the referred Manuel del Castillo y Rada, Martín Amador,
Pantaleón Germán Ribón, Santiago Stuart, Antonio José de Ayos, José
María García de Toledo and Miguel Díaz Granados, to being hanged and confiscate their possessions, for committing the crime of high treason. And the council condemns Don Manuel Anguiano to be passed by the arms, the sword, preceded by his degradation ... and finally José María Portocarrero is condemned to being hanged and his belongings confiscated..".
On February 24th are taken to the execution site outside the walled downtown near the Cienága de la Matuna and their corpses buried in a common pit at the Manga cemetery.
At the place where they were sacrificed exists today the Paseo o Camellón de los Mártires, built in their honor. |
