May 30: the last day of Trujillo

On the night of May 30, 1961, Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo was ambushed and killed at kilometer 9 on the highway between Santo Domingo and San Cristóbal. The plot was orchestrated by a group of dissidents, including Modesto Díaz, Salvador Estrella Sadhalá, Antonio de la Maza, and others. Trujillo’s vehicle was struck by over 60 bullets, with seven hitting him fatally. His driver, Zacarías de la Cruz, survived despite being shot multiple times.

Following the assassination, the Trujillo family attempted to flee the country with his body aboard their yacht but failed. His funeral took place on June 2, 1961, and was marked by a large procession from the National Palace to San Cristóbal. Then-President Joaquín Balaguer delivered the eulogy. Facing growing public pressure, the Trujillo family eventually fled the country. His son, Ramfis Trujillo, secretly removed the dictator’s remains from the country.

Originally buried in Paris at the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, Trujillo’s remains were later transferred to El Pardo, a small community near Madrid, Spain. His death marked the end of a brutal regime that had ruled the Dominican Republic for over three decades.