Intentona de Yauco — The Second Revolt (1897)

The Intentona de Yauco (Yauco Attempt) of March 24, 1897 was the second armed uprising against Spanish colonial rule in Puerto Rico, coming 29 years after the Grito de Lares.

Led by Fidel Vélez and Antonio Mattei Lluberas, approximately 150 men gathered near Yauco, raised the Puerto Rican flag (its first known use on Puerto Rican soil), and proclaimed the Republic of Puerto Rico. The uprising was planned to coincide with actions in other towns, but coordination failed.

Spanish forces quickly suppressed the revolt. Many participants were arrested, though several leaders escaped to the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The Spanish government used the uprising to justify continued military presence on the island.

Significance:
- The Puerto Rican flag was flown for the first time in Puerto Rico during this uprising
- The revolt demonstrated that the independence movement remained active three decades after Lares
- It occurred just months before Spain granted the Autonomous Charter (November 1897) — the timing suggests Spanish concessions were partly motivated by continued resistance
- The uprising took place just one year before the U.S. invasion, which would replace one colonial power with another

The Intentona de Yauco is less well-known than the Grito de Lares, but it represents an important link in the chain of armed resistance that stretches from Agüeybaná II (1511) through the 1950 Nationalist Insurrection.