Jayuya Uprising
Oct. 30, 1950
Plaque honoring the female participants of the 1950 Jayuya Uprising
On October 26, 1950, President of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party Albizu Campos was holding a meeting in Fajardo, when he received word that his house in San Juan was surrounded by police waiting to arrest him. Although they had been planning for a revolution in two years time, Campos ordered the revolution to commence, upon hearing that the other nationalist leaders were already arrested. On October 30, the Nationalists staged uprisings in the towns of Ponce, Mayagüez, Naranjito, Arecibo, Utuado (Utuado Uprising), San Juan (San Juan Nationalist revolt), and Jayuya. The "governor", Luis Muñoz Marín, declared martial law. The United States sent ten P-47 Thunderbolt fighter planes out of Ramey Air Force Base to bomb the town of Jayuya. The planes dropped 500-pound bombs and machine-gunned nearly every rooftop in the town, leaving the town in ruins.
Although an extensive part of Jayuya was destroyed, news of the military action was prevented from spreading outside of Puerto Rico. Instead, the American media reported President Truman saying it was "an incident between Puerto Ricans."
Although an extensive part of Jayuya was destroyed, news of the military action was prevented from spreading outside of Puerto Rico. Instead, the American media reported President Truman saying it was "an incident between Puerto Ricans."