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Virgilio Dávila
Born January 28, 1869 in Toa Baja. Died August 22, 1943 in Bayamón and buried in the Porta Coeli Cemetary. Poet and writer celebrated for works that reflected Puerto Rican identity, rural traditions, and patriotism.
He was mayor of Bayamón for a few years. His poetry represents the traditional in Puerto Rican literature. In 1903, he published his first book of poems, "Patria", a collection of lyrical portraits of the island's landspace, love and Puerto Rican personalities like Jose; de Diego, Federico Degetau and Lola Rodriguez de Tio. He also published: "Viviendo y Amado" (1912), "Aromas del Terruno" (1916), "Pueblito de Antes" (1917), and "Un Libro Para Mis Nietos" (A Book for my Grandchildren; 1928).
Among his best-known poems are "Nostalgia", "Elegia de Reyes" and "No Des Tu Tierra al Extrano."
Federico Degetau
Born December 5, 1862 in Ponce. Died January 20, 1914 in Santurce, and was burried in San Juan. Puerto Rico's first Resident Commissioner to the United States Congress and one of Aibonito's most distinguished historical figures. Degetau was a lawyer, diplomat, writer, and advocate for Puerto Rico's political representation.
He received is early education in Ponce, and continued studies in Barcelona, Spain, where he graduated from the law department of the Central Univeristy of Madrid. He founded the newspaper La Isla de Puerto Rico.
After returning to the island, Degetau became an active member of the Autonomist Party, under the leadership of Luis Muñoz Rivera. In 1895, he was among the party's four commissioners sent to Spain to petition for political autonomy for Puerto Rico. The petition was denied, but an autonomic charter was granted three years later. As a Resident Commissioner and member of the Committte on Insular Affairs, he submitted a bill to grant U.S. citizenship to Puerto Rico residents, but it was denied. He wrote "El Secreto de la Domadora" (1886), "Que Quijote!," "Cuentos para el Camino", "Juventud" (1895) and "La Injuria" (1893).
