Josefa Camejo

En el municipio Falcón realizan concurso virtual en honor a Josefa CamejoMañana

Josefa Camejo lived from May 18th, 1791 to July 5th, 1862. She was born in Paraguana, Viceroyalty of New Granada. She came from a family that was well off during the time. Her parents set her off to go to school in Caracas. While continuing her studies there, she started to become more exposed to the beginnings of Venezuela’s independence. Her uncle, who was a monsignor and the secretary of Patriotic Society of Merida, influenced her education and political point of views.

At the age of twenty, Camejo gathered women to participate against the Royalists. She and the large group of women requested the governor of Pedro Briceno del Pumar to use them to his advantage for the upcoming fight. She told the governor, “The female sex, Mr. Govornor, does not fear the horrors of war, but rather, the outbreak of the cannon will only encourage, its fire will ignite the desire for freedom, which it will sustain at all costs in gift of the homeland”.

In 1813, Josefa Camejo decided to marry Juan Nepomuceno Briceno Mendez. Her husband took refufuge from the Royalists moving into Bogota. She birthed her first son, Wenceslao and soon after she was in charge of leading people away from Barinas. During this mission, she lost her mother who drowned during the voyage.  

In 1821, she initiated the Revolution of Paraguaná which led to the independence declaration of Coro. This occurred after her initial defeat in battle.During this time, she disguised herself as a man with her female comrades since men were the only ones allowed to fight in battle. It was followed by the final Battle of Carabobo which was the precursor for Venezuela’s independence in 1821.

Josefa’s date of death is uncertain. Many people believe she lived until 70-72 years old. Every year on May 18th, people honor her as the woman who fought for Venezuela. Her legacy and stories of her bravery lives on to inspire thousands who want to fight for their freedom.

Work Cited:

“Josefa Camejo.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josefa_Camejo.

https://web.archive.org/web/20170115171118/http://www.correodelorinoco.gob.ve/comunicacion-cultura/heroina-libertad-josefa-camejo-puso-toda-su-rebeldia-a-favor-causa-independentista/

“South American Independence.” Google Books, Google, books.google.com/books?id=RiAkCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA149&lpg=PA149&dq=josefa%2Bcamejo%2Bmarriage&source=bl&ots=taegt49u2y&sig=ACfU3U3WtdP0taUc2pq_YygEia1AAQrTmg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXuhttp://“South American Independence.” Google Books, Google, books.google.com/books?id=RiAkCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA149&lpg=PA149&dq=josefa%2Bcamejo%2Bmarriage&source=bl&ots=taegt49u2y&sig=ACfU3U3WtdP0taUc2pq_YygEia1AAQrTmg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXuviLkf_uAhUCh-AKHdz_AZsQ6AEwEXoECBQQAw#v=onepage&q=josefa%20camejo%20marriage&f=false.viLkf_uAhUCh-AKHdz_AZsQ6AEwEXoECBQQAw#v=onepage&q=josefa%20camejo%20marriage&f=false.

2 thoughts on “Josefa Camejo

  1. Stephanie Cruz (she//her//hers)

    I enjoyed your biography on Josefa Camejo. This was my first time learning about Venezuelan Revolutionist who was ahead of her time and warrior in a way in Latin American women. Thank you for that.
    My suggestion would be to add a quote, if any and 2 or 3 links. For example, I would add a link in the part you mentioned she initiated the “Revolution of Paraguaná.” I would also reread it for any mistakes and run ons.

    Reply
    1. Elana P Gomes (Ms/) Post author

      Thank you very much for your suggestions! I really appreciate it! I will try my best to include links, but I i thought that just pasting the link in the middle of the bio may not look nice. I am currently looking up on how to create hyperlinks so it’s more friendly to the eyes and not so blunt with all the “http://”. If you know how to do this, please let me know. Thanks!

      Reply

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