Asunción Escalada (1850–1894) was a Paraguayan educator.

Life

Asunción Escalada was born in

Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...

on August 27, 1850. She was the granddaughter of the Argentine educator Juan Pedro Escalada (1777–1869), and the daughter of Juan Manuel Escalada and Casimira Benítez. Escalada started teaching during the

War Of The Triple Alliance The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...

, working at a small primary school in

Atyrá Atyrá is one of the oldest cities of Paraguay, alongside Yaguarón, Villarrica, Encarnación, Pilar, San Lorenzo, Humaitá among others. Atyrá is 61 KM East from the country's capital, Asunción, located in the Altos Cordillera, as it i ...

. Nearing the end of the war she was forced to abandon the town, accompanying her grandfather to Cerro Corá. In October 1869 Escalada wrote an article championing women's education in the first issue of the newspaper ''

La Regeneración LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

'', Paraguay's first privately-owned periodical. In November 1869, under her direction, the Central School for Girls opened in Asunción. According to some sources, she stayed at the school until 1875; according to other sources, she only stayed at the Central School for a short period before opening her own private school, which she directed until 1875. She married the politician Jaime Sosa Escalada. Their children included Marcial Sosa Escalala (1873–?), and the guitarist

Gustavo Sosa Escalada Gustavo Sosa Escalada (16 January 1877 – 18 May 1943) was a Paraguayan guitarist, composer, music arranger, writer, journalist, and mathematician. He is widely recognized as the creator of the Paraguayan guitar school and the mentor of notable ...

(1877–1943). Escalada also encouraged culture and the arts in Paraguay, giving patronage to her son Gustavo Sosa's student, the guitarist

Agustín Barrios Agustín Pío Barrios (also known as Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Nitsuga—Agustín spelled backwards—Mangoré; May 5, 1885 – August 7, 1944) was a Paraguayan virtuoso classical guitarist and composer, largely regarded as one of the greates ...

. Exiled with her husband, Asunción Escalada died in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

on December 11, 1894. The Asunción Escalada National Highschool is named after her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Escalada, Asuncion 1850 births 1894 deaths 19th-century Paraguayan educators 19th-century Paraguayan women Paraguayan women educators People from Asunción