eum near Santiago that was the home of the Mirabal sisters before they were assassinated by the Trujillo government in 1960. I wouldn't be able to do their stories justice (in part because the whole thing was in Spanish) so to learn more you can look here or here.I don't use the word "honor" lightly. The excursion was set up by the Embassy and along with 15 or so community members, I spent a long bus ride and a late lunch with Patria Mirabal's daughter, Noris (photo right). She was 15 when her mother and aunts were first imprisoned, and 16 when they were assassinated. The poor woman was hoarse from talking all day, sharing her memories of a typical (but somehow much more fascinating because it was so typical) childhood and the history of the Mirabal sisters. She has such a warm personality and a positive outlook on life.
The museum is located two hours outside of Santo Domingo and was the women's home for only a few months before they were killed. Their previous home was seized and the wood was used to build a local Trujillo supporter's home* and they moved into the now-museum when their husbands were jailed. The small house is filled with clothing, pictures, and mementos of the sisters and family and while it was probably only a 20 minute tour, it felt like I had experienced a lifetime with the sisters. I really liked the fact that it focused on the routine aspects of their very unusual lifestyle.
The most memorable part of the day was the
30 minutes I spent with four other Americans and Dede Mirabal, the surviving sister. She is 85 years old and the most vibrant person I have ever had the pleasure to meet. She sat in a plastic lawn chair while tourists hovered nearby, only occasionally striking up the courage to ask her to autograph a copy of the sisters' (fictionalized) story. But we're Americans and have no shame, and we plopped down next to her, monopolizing her attention for a good half-hour until someone, tired of the American regime, made a move for our positions.This is one of the places I hope to visit more than once. The bus trip was not very fun, and I would have liked to explore the town around the Mirabal's house. Since their death, the town has created murals (like the one Noris is posing in front of) throughout the town dedicated to the Mirabal sisters and the ideals they exemplified. So start doing your homework now and no cheating by watching the movie.
*Noris said that after Trujillo's assassination, townspeople destroyed the house of the man who took the wood from the Mirabal's seized house.
