Antonia Navarro Huezo (

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...

, 10 August 1870 – 22 December 1891) was a topographic engineer and teacher from

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

. She was the first woman in Central America to graduate from university, earning a PhD from the

University of El Salvador The University of El Salvador or Universidad de El Salvador (UES) is the oldest and the most prominent university institution in El Salvador. It serves as the national university of the country. The main campus, Ciudad Universitaria, is located ...

in 1889.

Biography

Antonia Navarro Huezo was born in 1870 to Belisaro Navarro (an apothecary) and Marina Huezo. The family was intellectual and despite the death of her father in 1878, her desire for education continued to be supported by an uncle. However her health was poor, and she was unable to attend school. Nevertheless she studied by herself and was allowed to take examinations to enter university. In 1887, she presented herself at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of El Salvador to study for her degree. During her time at university she had an affair with Alberto Sánchez Huezo, another student. Huezo progressed quickly and excelled in all the classes - just two years later she was awarded a PhD in Engineering in 1889. She defended her thesis successfully on 20 September 1889, after thirteen hours of questioning. The news of her success was reported around the world. Her thesis examined the widely-recognised phenomenon of ''The Moon of the Harvests -'' the idea that the moon is brighter so crops can be brought in. Huezo proved in her thesis that this effect was an illusion. Huezo's thesis defence and the award of a degree was national news and the president of El Salvador General

Francisco Menéndez Francisco Menéndez Valdivieso (3 December 1830 – 22 June 1890) was Provisional President of El Salvador from 22 June 1885 to 1 March 1887, then President of El Salvador from 1 March 1887 until his death on 22 June 1890. General Francisco Me ...

congratulated her in person and organised a celebratory concert. However, despite being the first woman to graduate from university in El Salvador, she was not allowed to teach there and instead was posted to teach younger women in San Salvador's high school. Huezo died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

on 22 December 1891. She has no known grave.

Legacy

Huezo's achievements are an important milestone in women's history in El Savaldor. She is seen as an important feminist role model for women in the country. There is a mural dedicated to her in the theatre of the University of El Salvador.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huezo, Antonia Navarro 1870 births 1891 deaths 19th-century women engineers Salvadoran women engineers University of El Salvador alumni People from San Salvador 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in El Salvador