Dr. María Cadilla Colón de Martínez (December 21, 1884 – August 23, 1951) was an American writer, educator,

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist and one of the first women in Puerto Rico to earn a doctoral degree.

Early years

Cadilla lived with her parents, Armando Cadilla Fernández and Catalina Colón Nieves, in the northwestern town of

Arecibo Arecibo (; ) is a city and municipality on the northern coast of Puerto Rico, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, located north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta and Florida. It is about west of San Juan, th ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

, where she was born. There she received her primary and secondary education. As a child she became interested in writing stories which she shared with her classmates. In 1902, she graduated from high school and enrolled in the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

. In 1906, Cadilla earned her bachelor's degree in Arts and Education. She taught school in some of the towns surrounding the San Juan metropolitan area. After a short period of time, Cadilla went to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

where she earned her teachers degree. She attended the Academy of

Francisco Oller Francisco Oller (June 17, 1833 – May 17, 1917) was a Puerto Rican painter. Oller is the only Latin American painter to have played a role in the development of Impressionism. One of the most distinguished transatlantic painters of his da ...

and took classes in plastic arts, after she returned to the island. The Atheneum of Puerto Rico awarded her a prize for one of her works in 1914. Cadilla earned her master's degree from the University of Puerto Rico. She went to Spain where she attended the

Central University of Madrid The Complutense University of Madrid ( es, Universidad Complutense de Madrid; UCM, links=no, ''Universidad de Madrid'', ''Universidad Central de Madrid''; la, Universitas Complutensis Matritensis, links=no) is a public research university loca ...

. Among her professors were the Spanish writer

Américo Castro Américo Castro y Quesada (May 4, 1885 – July 25, 1972) was a Spanish cultural historian, philologist, and literary critic who challenged some of the prevailing notions of Spanish identity, raising controversy with his conclusions that Spaniard ...

and poet

Dámaso Alonso Dámaso Alonso y Fernández de las Redondas (22 October 1898 – 25 January 1990) was a Spanish poet, philologist and literary critic. Though a member of the Generation of '27, his best-known work dates from the 1940s onwards. Early life and ed ...

. She earned her doctoral degree in 1933 with the thesis ''La Poesia Popular de Puerto Rico'' (The Popular Poetry of Puerto Rico).Encyclopedia de Puerto Rico

Educator

When Cadilla returned to Puerto Rico, she was hired by her alma mater, where she taught history and literature. She was also named principal of a local school in her hometown, which required that she often travel to Arecibo. Cadilla dedicated many hours of her spare time investigating Puerto Rico's

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

. The city of Arecibo honored her by naming a high school after her: Escuela Superior Dra. Maria Cadilla de Martinez.

Written works

The following are some of Cadilla's written works: * ''Cuentos a Lilliam'' (1925) * ''Cazadera en el Alba'' (1933) * ''La Poesia Popular de Puerto Rico'' (1933, The Popular Poetry of Puerto Rico) * ''La Campesina de Puerto Rico'' (1937, The farmwoman of Puerto Rico) * ''Costumbres y tradiciones de mi tierra'' (1938, Customs and traditions of my land) * ''Cuentos y Juegos infantiles de Puerto Rico'' (1940, Children's Stories and games from Puerto Rico) * ''Alturas Paralelas'' (1941) * ''Hitos de la Raza'' (1945), a book that won an award from the Puerto Rican Institute of Culture * ''Rememorando el Pasado Histórico'' (1946)

Women rights activist

Cadilla was also a women's rights activist. She belonged to the Civic League of Puerto Rico and the Association of Women Voters. As a member of these organizations, she fought for women's right to vote. Cadilla was a member of the Academy of History of Puerto Rico and of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares with ...

; the folklore societies of

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and

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and of the Academy of History of France. She received awards and recognitions from Puerto Rico,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, the United States and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Cadilla died on August 23, 1951, in her hometown, Arecibo.

Legacy

Arecibo honored her memory by naming a school and an avenue after her.

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

Library dedicated December 21, 2002, to María Cadilla in its Universal Human Rights Month.Maria Cadilla High School
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Early years

Educator

Written works

Women rights activist

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading