At age 22, Alfaro gained prominence by helping to develop a plan to seize the local police fortress, the only breadwinner of the Spanish colonial government.
Alfaro had won the sympathy of the Spanish soldiers, because in addition to her beauty, she was distinguished by her fine manners and cheerful talk which allowed her entry into the elegant salons of society.
The head of the barracks, who had fallen in love with Alfaro, allowed her the entrance to the hall to chat, but she used these meetings to obtain information.
She felt sympathy for the soldier, related Horacio Moreno in the Journal Lottery, but suppressed those feelings to help secure the freedom of her people.
A monument in Alfaro's memory, sculpted by Jose Guillermo Mora Noli, was erected in the town of La Villa de los Santos, and at the celebration of the Independence Day in 2002, President Mireya Moscoso deposited a wreath in front of the bust of the heroine.