Born: 1770, Colombia
Died: 21 October 1813
Country most active: Colombia
Also known as: Mercedes Abrego de Reyes
The following is excerpted from “400 Outstanding Women of the World and the Costumology of Their Time” by Minna Moscherosch Schmidt, published in 1933.
Dona Mercedes was born sometime between the years of 1780 and 1785 and came from an honorable family. Her husband Don Marcelo Reyes also belonged to a distinguished family. Doha Mercedes had a good education was industrious, skillful in all kinds of handwork and an enthusiastic partisan of the War of Independence. She embroidered for Brigadier Simon Bolivar (later the Libertador Simon Bolivar, the great emancipator of South America) a most beautiful military uniform which she presented to him after the victory he obtained against the Royalists in the Battle of Cucuta. She gave the patriots very valuable information at the time they were pursued by the Spanish in that part of the country, it is believed that, because of this information given by her to her compatriots, the Spanish Commander, Bartolme Lizon, had her shot, without trial, in the presence of her sons in the city of San Jose de Cucuta. A statue has been erected in the latter city to commemorate her memory. Historians do not know when this heroine was born or where, or who her parents were. No doubt Dona Mercedes occupies a great place in the history of Colombian martyrs.