Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón
| Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | April 22, 1855 Luquillo, Puerto Rico |
| Died |
December 13, 1913 (aged 58) Luquillo, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Rosendo Matienzo Cintrón (April 22, 1855 – December 13, 1913) was a Puerto Rican lawyer and politician, a member of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives, and a lifelong political contrarian. He favored Puerto Rican autonomy when Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony. After the Spanish–American War, when the island was ceded to the United States, he advocated statehood for Puerto Rico. In later years, Matienzo Cintrón supported Puerto Rico's independence.
Matienzo Cintrón was born in the town of Luquillo, Puerto Rico where he received his primary and secondary education. He moved to Spain to continue his education at the University of Barcelona, and earned his law degree there in 1875. His daughter, Carlota Matienzo Román, was born in 1881 in Barcelona.
Upon his return to Puerto Rico with his wife and new daughter, he moved to the city of Mayagüez and established his law practice.
On November 1885 Matienzo Cintrón was accused by the colonial government of being a Free Mason, which was illegal as it was opposed by the state Catholic Church. He was briefly imprisoned. After his release, he ran for the position of provisional representative for the district of Mayagüez and was elected.
In 1887, Matienzo Cintrón assisted the Assembly of Autonomists in La Perla theatre in the city of Ponce. During the assembly, Luis Muñoz Rivera proposed founding the Puerto Rican Autonomist Party. Matienzo Cintrón supported the proposal, and became one of the party's most prominent figures.
From the beginning, Matienzo Cintrón had some differences with Muñoz Rivera. At first he was against Muñoz Rivera's suggestion that their party make a pact with the Spanish Liberal Fusionist Party, headed by Práxedes Mateo Sagasta. Later he came to agree that such a pact would be to their benefit. Matienzo Cintrón was named to the commission which, along with Luis Muñoz Rivera, José Gómez Brioso and Federico Degetau, traveled to Spain to make official the pact with the Spanish Liberal Fusionist Party.
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