| Isabel "la Negra" Luberza Oppenheimer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Died | January 4, 1974 Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Occupation | Brothel owner |
Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer (b. — d. 4 January 1974), better known as "Isabel la Negra", was a Puerto Rican brothel owner and madam in Ponce, Puerto Rico.[1][2] Her name and her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club, became part of Puerto Rican folklore both during her life and posthumously. She was reportedly born in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
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Isabel la Negra owned and operated a bordello in Ponce from the late 1930s to the mid-1960s. At that time prostitution was tolerated. Her house was allegedly visited by politicians, businessmen, clergy members, etc. but this remains conjecture.[3]
Apart from her business as a madam, well documented in many Puerto Rican newspapers such as El Dia and El Vocero, not much is known about her life. The most widely accepted legend is that Isabel left home as a young teenager to live with a wealthy man, only to find out that he was married.[4] She then dated, and married, a much older man, a wealthy American.[5]
Dubbed by the public Isabel la Negra, she declared herself "Madame" of her brothel, Elizabeth's Dancing Club. Isabel had two brothels: one in Barrio San Anton and another one in Barrio Maraguez.[6] While her brothel businesses made her quite wealthy, the Catholic Church did not accept her donations because of her past and the illicit nature of her profession.[7]
Isabel la Negra was shot dead in a drug-related homicide.[8] It occurred in one of her establishments on January 4, 1974, for reasons which remain unclear. She is believed to have been 72 years of age. Emiliano Mercado del Toro was present on the occasion, and later recounted the experience.
Several of Puerto Rico's most important contemporary authors and filmmakers have been inspired by Isabel Luberza Oppenheimer's life and made works based on her experiences. In 1975, Rosario Ferré and Manuel Ramos Otero published two stories about Isabel la Negra in the literary journal Zona de carga y descarga. These stories were later reprinted in short-story collections by each author.[9][10]
In 1979,[11] a film about her life, Life of Sin, was released, starring Míriam Colón as Isabel, with José Ferrer, Raúl Juliá, Miguel Ángel Suárez, and Henry Darrow. The movie was directed by Efraín López Neris.[12]
In 2006, author Mayra Santos-Febres published a novel based on the life of Isabel la Negra, titled Nuestra Señora de la Noche.[13]
There is a street in Ponce, crossed by Papo Franceshi Street, and named to the memory of Isabel La Negra at Barrio San Antón.[14]