Bust of Juan Pablo Duarte y Díez

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Art · Subcategory: Sculpture · Year: 2024 · Authors: Alejandro Tosco

Considered the father of the Dominican Republic, Juan Pablo Duarte y Díez has a bust located in El Chapatal square in Santa Cruz. 

Juan Pablo Duarte (Santo Domingo, 1813-Caracas, 1876) was born in a time marked by political and social conflicts on the island of Hispaniola. His father was a merchant from Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz, while his mother was Dominican. Between 1828 and 1829, at just 15 years old, Duarte travelled to the United States, England and France en route to Spain, settling in Barcelona. During his stay in Europe, he absorbed the revolutionary and liberal ideas that influenced his political thinking. Upon returning to Santo Domingo in 1831, he joined the family business and participated in the social life of the local bourgeoisie. He soon perceived the widespread discontent towards Haitian rule that had been established after the unification of the island in 1822. In response to this context, Duarte founded  La Trinitaria on 16 July 1838, a Masonic society that promoted the independence of the eastern part of the island and separation from Haiti. His movement culminated in the independence of the Dominican Republic on 27 February 1844. However, his ideals of a democratic republic caused tensions with other independence leaders, leading to his exile on several occasions. Duarte spent his final years in Caracas, Venezuela, where he died on 15 July 1876 at the age of 63. His social and political thought laid the foundations for the creation of a Dominican Republic with free and just ideals, leaving a legacy that endures in Dominican national identity.

The bust we see in Santa Cruz, located very close to the square named after the country he helped found, is the work of the artist Alejandro Tosco. It was inaugurated in October 2024.

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