Concepción Bona (also known as Concepción Bona Pérez; 1820 – 1907) was a Dominican patriot who participated in the country’s struggle for independence from Haiti and is traditionally credited with helping to sew the first flag of the Dominican Republic, which was raised during the proclamation of independence on 27 February 1844.
Early life
Concepción Bona was born in Santo Domingo, then part of the Spanish colony of Santo Domingo, into a prominent Creole family. Her father, Joaquín Bona, was a merchant and landowner, and the family was involved in commercial activities in the capital. Bona received a basic education typical of women of her social class, which included literacy and domestic arts.
Role in the independence movement
During the 1840s, a clandestine revolutionary group known as La Trinitaria, founded by Juan Pablo Duarte, sought to restore Dominican sovereignty after a decade of Haitian administration (1822‑1844). Bona, along with other women supporters, provided logistical assistance to the conspirators, including the procurement of supplies and the dissemination of information.
On the night preceding the declaration of independence, Bona is reported to have sewn a small square of cloth using the colors prescribed by the revolutionary leaders—blue, white and red—according to contemporary Dominican accounts. This flag was later hoisted from the Puerta del Conde as a symbol of the newly declared Republic. The involvement of women such as Bona in the flag’s creation is commemorated in Dominican historiography as an illustration of civilian participation in the independence effort.
Later life and legacy
After independence, Bona married José María Cabral, a fellow participant in the revolutionary movement. The couple had several children and remained active in the political life of the young nation. Bona lived through subsequent periods of political turmoil, including the annexation of the Dominican Republic to Spain (1861‑1865) and the Restoration War, but she did not occupy formal public office.
She died in Santo Domingo in 1907 at the age of approximately 87. Concepción Bona is remembered in Dominican historical narratives as an emblematic figure representing the contributions of women to the nation’s founding. Her name appears in educational curricula, commemorative plaques, and cultural references celebrating the independence of the Dominican Republic.
