The Villa sisters, also known as the Villa del Orbe sisters, were the Dominican sisters who stand out in Dominican history for conceiving the first flag of the Dominican Republic.[1] In addition to the flag, which flew throughout the Cibao region, they were known for having hosted Juan Pablo Duarte in their residence when he visited La Vega at the end of June 1844.[2]
They were the issue of Juan Ramón Villa Jáquez (1781–1843), and his wife María de la Antigua del Orbe Bocanegra.[3] Juan Ramón Villa was a prominent person in the vegan community. He held different functions, including ordinary mayor, alderman, royal lieutenant, captain of militias, Acting Commander of Arms in the colonial era and Civil State Officer during the years of Haitian domination.
Juan Ramón Villa was the son of Manuel Francisco Villa, who was stationed in La Vega in the colonial era before the Treaty of Basel as butler of the “Las Benditas” brotherhood. According to family tradition, he was “a Spanish citizen who was coming to a certain place in America and who on the journey was forced to change course due to the threat of shipwreck.” His wife was María del Carmen Jáquez. The Villa sisters' maternal grandparents were Joseph del Orbe (d. 1796), “Captain of her Majesty” and Ordinary Mayor of La Vega in 1779, and Josefa Bocanegra.
| Name | Gender | Birthdate | Took part? | |||||
| María del Carmen Villa del Orbe | female | Yes | ||||||
| Manuel Francisco Villa del Orbe | male | 25 December 1811 | No | |||||
| María Francisca Angustia Villa del Orbe | female | 8 April 1814 | Yes | |||||
| Manuela Estefanía Villa del Orbe | female | 22 April 1816 | Yes | |||||
| María Lorenza Matilde Villa del Orbe | female | 21 November 1818 | No | |||||
| María Filomena Villa del Orbe | female | 5 January 1820 | No |
Source: Hoy/Instituto Dominicano de Genealogía[3]