Carlota was an African born women of Lucumí - Yoruba origin. She was kidnapped as a child and brought from West Africa to Cuba.
She took up the machete in 1843 to lead the uprising of Triunvirato Sugarmill in the Matanzas province of Cuba.
Carlota, known for both her intelligence and musical skill, sent coded messages using drums to coordinate a series of attacks. The colonizers, unaware that the music was being used as a form of communication, were forcible overthrown. These attacks were lead personally by Carlota, who went into battle wielding her machete.
In 1844 Carlota was captured and executed. 1844 became known as the "Year of the Lashes" due to the brutality inflicted upon the enslaved population.
Carlotas legacy inspired many subsequent rebellions in the Caribbean.
Her name was later given to Cuba's operation Black Carlota in southern Africa in the 1980's. Carlota and the uprising at Triunvirato plantation are honored as part of the UNESCO Slave Route Project through a sculpture at the Triunvirato plantation, which has since been turned into a memorial and museum.
Comments