Grito de Lares

As well as boasting the world’s larges radio telescope and its youngest ever boxing champion, Puerto Rico also holds the dubious distinction of having the created the history’s shortest-lived republic. The independent republic of Puerto Rico, proclaimed during the abortive Grito de Lares (Cry of Lares) in 1868, lasted slightly less than 24 hours.
Worn down by slavery, high taxes and the asphyxiating grip of Spain’s militaristic rulers, independence advocates in the Caribbean colonies of Puerto Rico and Cuba were in the ascendancy throughout the 1850’s and 60’s. Ironically, it was the Puerto Ricans who acted first. Under the auspices of exiled intellectual and physician Dr. Ramon Emeterio Betances, an insurrection was planned in the western town of Lares for September 29, 1868. A ship carrying armed reinforcements from the Dominican Republic was supposed to act as backup but, due to an anonymous betrayal a few weeks beforehand, it was apprehended by the Spanish authorities along with various key rebel leaders. Flailing from the setback, the remaining rebels elected to bring the their planned revolt forward six days to September 23, a move that would ultimately cost them dearly.
Meeting at a farm, codenamed Centro Bravo, owned by Venezuelan-born rebel Manuel Rojas on the evening of September 23, over 600 men and women marched defiantly on the small town of Lares near Mayaguez, where they were met with minimal Spanish resistance. Declaring a Puerto Rican republic from the main square, the rebels placed a red, white and blue flag – designed by Betances – on the high altar of the main church and named Francisco Ramirez Medina head of a new provisional government. Fatefully, the glory wasn’t to last. Electing next to march on the nearby town of San Sebastian, the poorly armed liberation army walked into a classic Spanish military trap and were quickly seen off by superior firepower. A handful of the militia were killed by Spanish bullets while hundreds more – including Rojas and Medina – were taken prisoner.
While the Grito de Lares was decapitated swiftly and never won widespread grassroots support on the island, the action did lead to some long-term political concessions. In the years that followed, the colonial authorities passed liberal electoral reforms, granted Puerto Rico provincial status and offered Spanish citizenship to all criollos (island-born people of European descent). The biggest victory, however, came in 1873 with the abolition of slavery and granting of freedom to over 30,000 previously incarcerated slaves.

Aus: Lonely Planet Puerto Rico