Valentina Ramírez Avitia (14 February 1893 – 4 April 1979) was a Mexican revolutionary and

soldadera ''Soldaderas'', often called Adelitas, were women in the military who participated in the conflict of the Mexican Revolution, ranging from commanding officers to combatants to camp followers. "In many respects, the Mexican revolution was not o ...

. She was known as "La Valentina" and "La leona de Norotal". She fought against the

Federales ''Federales'' is a slang term in English language, English and Spanish languages referring to security forces, particularly those of the federal government of Mexico. The term gained widespread usage by English speakers due to being popularized ...

in the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

at a time when women were not allowed to join the army. Her parallels to the story of

Hua Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary Chinese folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. Scholars generally consider Mulan to be a fictional character. Hua Mulan is depicted in the '' Wu Shuan ...

lead to her modern nickname of "The Mexican Mulan" ().

Biography

Ramirez was born in Norotol,

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

, on 14 February 1893. Inspired by her father who was killed early in the

, she decided to enlist. Wearing her brothers clothes, hiding her hair, and assuming the name of Juan Ramírez, Ramírez joined the Maderista Army under

Francisco I. Madero Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman, who served as the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in a coup d'état in Februa ...

in 1910. She quickly rose to the rank of lieutenant after a victorious battle in

Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531 by the Spanish conquistadors Lázaro de ...

. However, after participating in the conflict for only five months and ten days, it was discovered that Ramírez was a woman. On 22 June 1911 she was dismissed from the army.

Later years

Upon her return home, Ramírez was shunned by her family and she lived in a slum in Sinaloa. She moved to

and lived there for over twenty years. In 1969, she was hit by a car in the city of

Navolato Navolato is a city in the List of states of Mexico, Mexican state of Sinaloa. It is located in the central coastal part of the state bordering the Gulf of California and serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding Navolato Municipality, muni ...

. She was placed in a nursing home before she escaped. Crippled and without a wheelchair, she lived in a small scrap-metal hut and begged for food. On 4 April 1979, Ramírez died of burn wounds received after a fire in her home.

Legacy

The

corrido The corrido (Spanish pronunciation: Help:IPA/Spanish, oˈriðo is a famous narrative metrical tale and poetry that forms a Ballad (music), ballad. The songs often feature topics such as oppression, history, daily life for criminals, the vaqu ...

was composed as a tribute to Avitia. The film '' La Valentina'' and the 1966 remake were later inspired by the corrido. Valentina brand hot sauce is named in her honor.

References

{{authority control Mexican revolutionaries Female revolutionaries 1893 births 1979 deaths

Biography

Later years

Legacy

See also

References