Leona Vicario was one of the prominent figures of the Mexican War of Independence. She was one of the first female journalists in Mexico.
María de la Soledad Camila Vicario Fernández de San Salvador, best known as Leona Vicario was born on April 10, 1789 in Mexico City. She was an only child and daughter of a wealthy businessman from Castilla la Vieja, Spain. Leona received education in sciences, fine arts, painting, singing, and literature.
When Leona’s parents died in 1807 she went to live with her uncle, Agustín. At some point,
both of them had conflicts because he supported the Spanish Crown and she had more liberal political ideas. She began to be in contact with groups that advocated and fought for Mexican Independence. In 1809, Leona met her future husband, Andrés Quintana Roo.
To make the long story short, Leona worked with a secret society called “Los Guadalupes” to
receive and distribute insurgent correspondence for the independence movement. She also served
as a messenger and help fugitives, sent money and medicine, and helped all she could.
One of her famous quotes is:
“It is not love alone that determines the actions of women… The desire for the glory and liberty of their homeland are sentiments unknown to them.”
(www.encyclopedia.com)
Leona died on August 21, 1842 in Mexico City. She is buried in the Independence Column in
Mexico City. She was the only civilian women to receive a State Funeral.
For everything she did to make Mexico independent from the Spanish Crown, she gained the title
of “Distinguished and Beloved Mother of the Homeland” by the Congress of the Union. 2020
was declared the year of Leona Vicario.
*Public Domain
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