User:Agüeybaná/Betances

Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán (April 8, 1827 – September 16, 1898), was a Puerto Rican nationalist, and the primary instigator of the Grito de Lares revolution. As such, he is considered to be the father of the Puerto Rican independence movement. Since the Grito galvanized a burgeoning nationalism among Puerto Ricans, Betances is also considered "El Padre de la Patria" (Father of the Puerto Rican Nation).

Betances was the most renowned medical doctor and surgeon of his time in Puerto Rico, and one of its first social hygienists. Betances was also a diplomat, public health administrator, poet and novelist.

A firm believer in Freemasonry, his political and social activism was deeply influenced by the group's philosophical beliefs. His personal and professional relationships (as well as the organizational structure behind the Grito de Lares, an event that, in theory, clashes with traditional Freemason beliefs) were based upon his relationships with Freemasons, their hierarchical structure, rites and signs.