Maria Policarpa Salavarrieta Rios also knows as “la pola” was born in Guaduas, Cundinamarca, Colombia between the time period of 1793 and 1796 her exact date of birth and location is unknown.
but it is not completely know. Her parents were Joaquín Salavarrieta, and Mariana Ríos. Her parents were financially stable because they had good agriculture and commerence. She was the fifth child out of nine. Today through out Colombia she is known as the heroine of independence. During the 1800’s her parents, and brother and sister died of small pox right after moving to Bogotá, Colombia. Her two older brothers went to work on a farm and her and her sister went to live at her godmother’s house. Then when her older sister got married, she moved in with them. Her family had become involved with the anti -royalist movement. In 1817, she had moved back to Bogotá with her youngest brother. She was a spy for the revolutionist she would hear about what the Spaniards were planning to do and inform the revolutionist. In 1817 she was caught with documents about the revolution. They sent her a priest so she can admit she did wrong but she refused to. Instead, she spoke of liberty and a free society. On November 14, 1817 at nine o clock she was sentenced to death but she did not remain silent she kept shouting her opinions about liberty. she was just another example of the many, who tried to gain freedom from the spanierds.
