200px, A painting of Ubalda Ubalda García de Cañete (1807–1890) was the eldest daughter of the

Paraguayan Paraguayans () are the citizens of Paraguay. Though the majority of Paraguayans reside in Paraguay, significant communities have been established in multiple countries, most noticeably Argentina, Spain, United States, Brazil. History The first ...

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute Power (social and political), power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a polity. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to r ...

José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia y Velasco () (6 January 1766 – 20 September 1840), also known as Doctor Francia or to Paraguayans of his time as Karai Guasu (in Guaraní, means "Great Lord"), was a Paraguayan lawyer, politician, stat ...

Life

Ubalda's mother was María Juana García, a

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

of Francia. Although his daughter was

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

, and he was not known for any acts of kindness, Francia nonetheless respected his daughter. One day he found her prostituting herself near his residence, and rather than punishing her, he declared prostitution a decent profession (he himself used prostitutes). He also ordered that

prostitutes Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-p ...

had to wear golden combs in their hair, in the style of Spanish ladies. Ubalda later married Juan de la Cruz Cañete. She gave birth to a daughter, Francisca del Rosario, in 1842, two years after Francia's death. Francisca del Rosario in turn married Sgt. Manuel Epifanio Peña thus creating a long dynasty of Paraguayan statesmen, politicians, and intellectuals, such as Manuel Jaime Peña,

José Segundo Decoud José Segundo Decoud Domecq (14 May 1848 – 3 March 1909) was a Paraguayan politician, journalist, diplomat and military officer. He is often considered one of the foremost intellectuals of his generation, and was also one of the first liberal ...

, Pedro Pablo Peña, Manuel Peña Villamil,

Silvana López Moreira Silvana López Moreira Bó (born 31 January 1974) is a former First Lady of Paraguay, from 15 August 2018 to 15 August 2023, due to her marriage to President of Paraguay, President Mario Abdo Benítez. With López Moreira, the office of First La ...

Agustín Cañete Agustín Cañete García (31 December 1844 – 23 December 1902) was a Paraguayan politician. He served in various presidential cabinets through a political life which spanned more than three decades. Most famously, he was Minister of Finance o ...

and

Santiago Peña Santiago Peña Palacios (; born 16 November 1978) is a Paraguayan politician and economist who is the 52nd and current president of Paraguay since 2023. In addition to his political career, Peña has served on leadership boards for the Central ...

. Ubalda died in Asunción in 1890, at the age of 83 and is buried in the Recoleta Cemetery in Asuncion.

References

1807 births 1890 deaths Children of heads of state 19th-century Paraguayan women 19th-century Paraguayan people {{Paraguay-bio-stub