[2] Sympathetic to, and then active in, independence causes from childhood, Ana María opened up the rooms of her large family home for the organisation of these forces, and plotted with them.

[4] She is perhaps best known for her actions during the Royalist occupation of Lake Maracaibo, headed up by Field Marshal Francisco Tomás Morales.

After hearing of Ana María's attempts to aid the revolution, in September 1822, Morales accused her of organising clandestine meetings to overthrow the crown and had her arrested.

It is reported that after every lash he asked her if she wanted to repent, and every time she answered, "Si no capitula, monda".

[2][5] Numerous sites in Maracaibo are named for Ana María, including a street, a public square,[citation needed] and a petrochemical complex.

[6] A monument in the public square bearing her name depicts Ana María riding topless on a donkey as a man wields a whip behind her.