Si Gen. Juan Araneta kilala man na siya sa tawag nga "Tan Juan". Siya ang ginakabig nga "Hero" sang mga tawo indi lang sa Bago kundi pati sa bilog nga Negros. Isa siya sa mga rason nga nakaagom sang ginatawag nga "Freedom" ang mga Bagonhon kag Negrense.
Sa atubangan sang Bago City Coliseum,ginpatindogan siya istatwa sg mga tawo to honor him sa iya ginhimu sa amu nga lugar. Siling pa,didto mismo sa iya monumento ginlubong ang iya lawas pagkapatay niya. Tanan na, ginhimu sang mga tawo para indi mkalimtan ang iya ginpangbuhat kag para mapabalo ang mga masunod nga mga henerasyon nga siya amu si Gen. Juan Araneta "Tan Juan" ang Hero sang amon lugar nga Bago.

The people of Bago City put up a life-size monument to him astride a horse atop a slightly tapering massive base. The general cuts a dignified, determined leader and revolutionary, his head slightly tilted upward to prove that he can level with the enemy. In him resonates every Filipino’s motto at war: PKP—Patay Kung Patay!

The Negros Revolution

On November 5, 1898, (Cinco de Noviembre) a messenger from Talisay brought news that the revolutionaries and the cazadores were already engaged in skirmishes. At about 1:00 in the afternoon, the revolutionary forces in Bago started marching toward Bacolod. They had only three firearms among them: a Remington rifle, a Mauser rifle, and a shotgun. General Araneta, who led the rebel forces, told his men to cut nipa stems or pagong, and to shoulder these as if these were rifles. In case they contact with each other, the password was to be utod (brother) in Hiligaynon.

The Spanish authorities in Bacolod, who saw the rebels marching toward the town, thought that they wanted to surrender their arms. Surprised, the Spaniards were advised by the rebels to surrender in order to avert bloodshed. The Spaniards readily agreed. It was only when Bacolod was already in the hands of the rebels, that the Spanish reinforcements from Iloilo arrived.

The Republic of Negros

A cantonal form of government was set up in Bacolod with General Aniceto Lacson as President and General Juan Araneta serving as Secretary of War. When the Americans arrived in Iloilo, he counseled the cantonal government to submit to the American forces. This was vehemently opposed and ridiculed by his companions-in-arms. His idea was finally adopted, however, and the Americans occupied Negros without encountering hostilities.

Early life

At the age of 19, he was brought by his brother-in-law, Pedro Sarmiento, to Manila and was enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal. He showed great promise in school, earning medals of merit for his endeavours. He graduated with a perito mercantil degree, equivalent to today's Bachelor's Degree in Commerce. His contemporaries in school included Jose Rizal, Jose Alejandrino, Cayetano Arellano, and Apolinario Mabini, among others.

Upon returning to his hometown, he was elected Capitan del Pueblo, like his father before him. The friars in the province, however, had become suspicious of him, and only the high regard and respect of the people of Bago and the other towns in the province prevented his summary liquidation by the Spanish authorities.

In 1891, Juan went to Europe with his friend, Don Claudio Reina after his wife died. He had the opportunity to meet many of the Filipino leaders then living in Madrid, London and Paris. As a consequence, the Spanish authorities were even more antagonistic toward him upon his return. As a result, he lost the land that he and his sisters inherited from their parents. He had to take his family to the slopes of Mt. Kanlaon where they started to farm anew. He brought many gadgets to his hacienda in Dinapalan. One popular tale was his use of a telescope to supervise his laborers in the vast hacienda from afar. It became a legend among the common people that he had magical powers, but in reality, he was only able to see their actions by using the telescope.

More trouble with the Spanish

His travels in Europe made him aware of the use of new machinery and tools for agriculture. He imported a sugar mill from England and had it installed in his hacienda in Dinapalan. From time to time, he bought farm implements like a baler for abaca, a rice thresher, and plows of improved models.

This preference for modern agricultural tools, however, became his undoing. The Spanish authorities grew suspicious of the boatloads of cargo being unloaded near his land in Lumangub. He was arrested and brought to Concordia in January 1897. He was later brought to Himamaylan and then again to Ilog which was then the capital of the province. His diary hinted that even in prison, there were plans to organize the revolutionary forces in the province. There were annotations showing that he made contact with other leaders in the province. He was finally brought to Bacolod where he was released in October 1897.