World Of Weird wishes to commemorate and recognize this struggle that has paid off, over time, honoring 8 highly emblematic Latin American women in history.
1. Rosario Castellanos (Mexico)
Rosario Castellanos is one of the most important writers and writers of the 20th century thanks to her enormous preparation and studies, but also to her conviction as an activist that she always demonstrated in her constant struggle for women's rights. For Rosario, the world was conceived as a space of struggle in which each person should be committed.
Rosario Castellanos ventured into areas such as novels, poetry, stories, articles, essays and even theater, where she dealt with issues of political and social issues, but always linked to daily life; mainly to the role that women play in it and to the sexist approach.
Elegy / Poem
Never, as at your side, I was stone.
And I dreamed of cloud, water,
air on the leaf,
a fire of a thousand shifting flames,
I only knew how to lie, to
weigh, what the stone knows how to do
around the neck of the drowned.
2. Manuela Sáenz (Ecuador)
Manuela Sáenz was a fervent fighter to liberate America from the Spanish Empire; Sáenz faced in the battle of Pichincha that assured the independence of Ecuador, as well as he did it in the battle of Ayacucho, in Peru, which marked the end of the war in South America. As a woman, her activity was the protagonist and recognized by the countries of the South.
Sáenz is also honored for being the Libertador del Libertador, named after Simón Bolívar, the leader of the southern independence struggles, whom Sáenz saved from an assassination attempt in Bogotá, Colombia. Manuela Sáenz and Simón Bolívar united their lives from the battles that liberated America from the Spanish yoke.
3. Frida Kahlo (Mexico)
Frida Kahlo had a fateful and resounding life that impelled her to art. Most of his works revolve around these unfortunate events and his biography in general. Together with her husband, the famous muralist Diego Rivera, she approached the political, artistic and intellectual environments, thus forming part of the Communist Party of Mexico.
Frida surrounded herself with many intellectuals and artists from all over the world such as Leon Trotsky, Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Tina Modotti, Giorgio de Chirico and André Bretón, the latter cataloged her as surrealist, although she denied it; Frida was always convinced that what she painted was her reality and not dreams. Her exhibitions became famous internationally, being the first Mexican to paint a painting acquired by the famous Louvre Museum in France.
4. Juana Azurduy (Bolivia)
Juana Azurduy was another of the great heroines of America for her participation in the struggle for independence. Together with her husband, she collaborated in the organization of the Los Leales squadron, which joined the troops of Buenos Aires to liberate Upper Peru, now Bolivia; He joined the army of Manuel Belgrano, who gave him, in honor and admiration, his own sword.
Azurduy became commander in the area of the Hacienda del Villar, where he organized the defense of the territory, and in the fight, she snatched the flag of the regiment from the head of the enemy forces; for all this, Buenos Aires granted him the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Militias.
5. Chavela Vargas (Mexico and Costa Rica)
He is an emblematic figure of folkloric music. He flirted with rhythms such as bolero, tango, revolutionary corridos, and Cuban songs, but his principal was always the rancher. He defied the custom of the rancher played by men and gave him his personal touch with his guitar and his voice that emulated that of an alcoholic man. Always peculiar, he was characterized by dressing as a man and taking actions that were not so well seen in a woman of his time.
Chavela was a singer with international fame, especially in Latin America and Spain, where she made friends like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Pablo Almodovar, Gabriel García Márquez, Joaquín Sabina, among others, and received multiple awards such as the Award of Excellence Musical of the Latin American Academy of Recording Sciences and Arts.
6. Gabriela Mistral (Chile)
Gabriela Mistral was a Chilean poet, pedagogue, and diplomat, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945, facts that have made her a very important figure in Chilean and Latin American literature. Lucila Godoy, her real name, also contributed to the reform of the educational system in Mexico thanks to José Vasconcelos, who invited her.
Gabriela Mistral was always an important figure in Latin America, that is why Puerto Rico named her Meritorious Army Defender of National Sovereignty and influenced other writers such as Pablo Neruda and Octavio Paz.
7. Leona Vicario (Mexico)
A key character among those who achieved the independence of Mexico. Leona Vicario belonged to a secret group called Los Guadalupe, a kind of network that maintained communication with Miguel Hidalgo and Morelos to provide information that few could access if they did not belong to the viceregal society. She collected data in relation to the Spanish defense and attack strategies to provide it to the insurgents.
Leona Vicario sheltered several insurgents and also financed the rebels with medicines and cannons; and while dedicating her life to serving the insurgents, she became the first Mexican journalist.
8. Alfonsina Storni (Argentina)
Poet, writer and also teacher recognized for making original prose, mainly feminist. In his words, Alfonsina acknowledged that it hurt to be born a woman because of the negative conditions that imply, the same mentality that he showed in his writings in which he always criticized the masculine condition.
Alfonsina surrounded himself with friends with equal recognition in different countries, among them Federico García Lorca, Amado Nervo, and Horacio Quiroga, it is said that with the latter he maintained a relationship beyond the friendly. The death of this great poet inspired the famous song Alfonsina y el Mar, performed by multiple singers and artists of Spanish-speaking.
Latin America has been the birthplace of many women who deserve our recognition. Women who give everything for what they believe in and who have done their bit to change our luck. Who else would you name on this list?
