Utuado uprising

Lore & Background

The Utuado uprising was part of a coordinated armed revolution planned by the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party from 1949 to 1950. The revolution was originally scheduled for 1952, when the U.S. Congress was to approve the Free Associated State status, which Albizu Campos deemed a colonial farce. Weapons were stored in the home of Blanca Canales in Jayuya, which served as the revolution's headquarters. On October 26, 1950, Albizu Campos, learning that his house was surrounded by police and that other leaders had been arrested, ordered the revolution to start early. Notably, while Jayuya was bombed by U.S. P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes, Utuado itself was not bombed from the air.

Reader's Guide

The Utuado uprising is significant as a key event in the mid-20th-century Puerto Rican independence movement, demonstrating the lengths to which Nationalists were willing to go to oppose U.S. colonial rule. The revolt was met with overwhelming force: Governor Luis Muñoz Marín declared martial law, and the U.S. sent ten P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes to bomb Jayuya and Utuado, demolishing approximately 70% of Utuado. After the Nationalists surrendered, four were massacred by machine-gun fire, and a 17-year-old rebel was bayoneted. The uprising led to the arrest of thousands of independence supporters and the imprisonment of top Nationalist leaders, including Albizu Campos and Blanca Canales. The event remains a controversial symbol of resistance and repression in Puerto Rican history.

Did You Know?

• The Utuado uprising occurred on October 30, 1950, as part of a series of simultaneous revolts across Puerto Rico.
• After surrendering, four Nationalists were machine-gunned by National Guardsmen; the youngest rebel was 17-year-old Antonio González.
• U.S. P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes bombed Jayuya, not Utuado, during the broader revolt.
• The uprising was ordered by Pedro Albizu Campos after he learned police were surrounding his house and arresting other Nationalist leaders.