María Luisa Gómez de la Torre Páez (b. 28 May 1887 – d. 1976) was an Ecuadorian
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
,
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, and
activist
Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...
. She was a pioneer in the struggle for the rights of the indigenous peoples and peasants in
Ecuador. She was the first woman to serve as a teacher for boys in
Quito
Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...
.
Biography
Luisa Gómez de la Torre Paez was born on 28 May 1887 to parents Joaquín Gómez de la Torre Álvarez and Francisca Páez Rodríguez. In 1944, she participated in the creation of the first indigenous peoples' rights organization, called the Ecuadorian Federation of Indians (FEI). She also worked with the
Indigenista Dolores Cacuango to found bilingual (
Quecha and
Spanish) schools to bring
literacy to the indigenous peasantry in the countryside.
In the political arena, de la Torre is considered one of the pioneers of the political left in
Ecuador along with
Guayaquileñas Aurora López,
Isabel Herrera,
Ana Moreno and
Quiteñas Nela Martínez and
Laura Almeida. With these connections, she participated in the 1926 founding of the
Socialist Party of Ecuador. Four years later, de la Torre formed the Club of Professors of
Mejía. In 1937 she, with other colleagues, founded the Syndicate of Professors of Mejía and in 1946 expanded this into the Ecuadorian Teachers' Union.
De la Torre was one of the founding members (with
Virginia Larenas,
Raquel Verdesoto
Raquel Verdesoto Salgado de Romo Dávila (November 16, 1910 in Ambato – May 27, 1999 in Quito) was an Ecuadorian writer, poet, teacher, feminist, and activist.
Biography
Her parents were Francisco Verdesoto Murillo and Lucila Salgado Hida ...
,
Matilde Hidalgo and
Nela Martínez) of the Ecuadorian Women's Alliance in 1938.
Citations
References
Spanish books
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English sources
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:De la Torre Paez, Luisa Gomez
1887 births
1976 deaths
Ecuadorian educators
Ecuadorian women educators
Ecuadorian feminists
Ecuadorian activists
Ecuadorian women activists
People from Quito