Elisa Martínez Contreras (c. 1900 – April 15, 1985) was the first wife of

Juan José Arévalo Juan José Arévalo Bermejo (10 September 1904 – 8 October 1990) was a Guatemalan statesman and professor of philosophy who became Guatemala's first democratically elected president in 1945. He was elected following a popular uprising again ...

, and

First Lady of Guatemala First Lady of Guatemala is the title held by the wife of the president of Guatemala or designee. The current first lady is Lucrecia Peinado, wife of President Bernardo Arévalo, since 15 January 2024. In the First Lady's Office, located in the Pr ...

during Arévalo's presidency from 1945 to 1951. She was a teacher of primary education, and her social work supported children. While First Lady, she founded Guatemala's first soup kitchens and homes for homeless children.

Biography

Elisa Martínez was born circa 1900, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Silverio Martínez and Brigida Contreras de Martínez. She was later said to be "some four years older" than her husband, Arévalo, who was born in 1904. He came to Argentina to study in 1927, and they married the following year. She had graduated as a Teacher of Primary Education in 1921, and proceeded to teach at a school in Buenos Aires for over twenty years straight. When Arévalo returned to

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

in 1944, Martínez came with him, although at that time they were already separated. He ran in the presidential election and won, and took office as

President of Guatemala The president of Guatemala (), officially titled President of the Republic of Guatemala (), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a single four-year term. The position of President was created in 1839. Selectio ...

on March 15, 1945, serving for a full six-year term; she then assumed the informal position of First Lady. She dedicated herself to pioneering work in Guatemala in the area of social services, and founded soup kitchens, homes for homeless children, nurseries, and other institutions. Elisa Martínez also began to take charge of day care centers and schools. According to reports, her successor as First Lady, Maria Cristina Vilanova, affirmed that Martínez asked her to take charge of Martínez's work during the inauguration of Arévalo's successor,

Jacobo Arbenz Jacobo is both a surname and a given name of Spanish origin. Based on the name Jacob Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis a ...

, on March 15, 1951. After she left Guatemala following the end of her husband's term of office, she returned to Buenos Aires and resumed teaching at the same school she had been employed at prior to her departure. Martínez died on April 15, 1985, in

Bariloche San Carlos de Bariloche (from the Mapuche name ''Vuriloche'', meaning "people from the other side of the mountain"), commonly known simply as Bariloche (), is the largest city in the Argentine province of Río Negro and the seat of the departm ...

, Argentina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martínez, Elisa 1900s births 1985 deaths People from Bariloche First ladies of Guatemala Guatemalan diplomats Guatemalan women diplomats