 antonio valero de bernabÃ© (october 26, 1790 â june 7, 1863), aka the liberator from puerto rico,antonio valero de bernabÃ©: el puertorriqueÃ±o libertador de amÃ©rica was a puerto rican military leader. trained in spain, he fought with the spanish army to expel the french leader, napoleon bonaparte, from spain and was promoted to colonel during these years. he returned to the new world and joined the mexican movement for independence next, and was appointed as a brigadier general. later he joined simÃ³n bolÃ­var to fight for the independence from spain of nations in south america, fighting for colombia, peru, panama. he also supported the independence of puerto rico and cuba. like bolivar, he advocated forming a federation of latin american nations. ==early years== valero de bernabÃ© was born in fajardo, puerto rico; his father, cayetano valero de bernabÃ©, was an officer in the spanish army and his mother, rosa pacheco de onormandÃ­a, came from a wealthy puerto rican family. when he was quite young, his father died. bernabe was sent by his family to spain to study military science; he graduated as a junior officer in 1807. ==marriage and family== while in spain, the young officer had married marÃ­a madrid. they had several children together. when he left spain, he took his family with him to mexico and later south america. ==spanish military service== valero de bernabÃ© had recently graduated from the military academy when napoleon bonaparte convinced king charles iv of spain to permit the french leader to pass through spain with his army to attack portugal. when napoleon later refused to leave spanish soil, the government declared war. valero de bernabÃ© joined the spanish army and helped defeat napoleon's army at the siege of saragossa (1808) in the peninsular war, also known as the spanish war of independence.[http://hijadelmaryelsol.com/hijos_del_suel
1783_births 1863_deaths 19th-century_Puerto_Rican_people People_from_Fajardo,_Puerto_Rico People_of_the_Latin_American_wars_of_independence Puerto_Rican_Army_personnel Puerto_Rican_independence_activists Puerto_Rican_military_officers Puerto_Rican_military_personnel Puerto_Rican_nationalists Puerto_Rican_people_of_Spanish_descent