Manuela de la Santa Cruz y Espejo was an Ecuadorian journalist and nurse, born in Quito on December 20, 1753. She is recognized as one of the most important thinkers on the American continent and a pioneer in the field of feminism.
She is also considered a woman of strong character who was not limited by the macho moral codes of her time.
He had an important collaboration in the newspaper Primicias de la Cultura de Quito under the pseudonym Erophilia, where through his writings he harshly criticized the inequality of treatment between men and women, in addition to supporting the revolutionary thought that gave Ecuador its independence.
Biography
Manuela de la Santa Cruz y Espejo was the fifth and last daughter of the marriage of Luis Espejo and Catalina Aldaz.
Even with the great number of limitations and restrictions for university education that women had in eighteenth-century Ecuador, she was able to learn medicine, which ended up making her the first nurse to graduate from a university in Quito.
There are many who remember her as the sister of Eugenio Espejo, an important doctor and hero of Ecuador.
Thanks to his skill in medicine, he was a frequent companion of his brother throughout his medical visits, and he provided free assistance to many people during the yellow fever epidemic that struck Quito in 1785.
Personal life
She was characterized by being a liberal-minded woman who went against the system. Aside from her education, her personal life was equally out of the ordinary.
Manuela married at age 44 (an unusually tall age) to José Mejía Lequerica, who was barely 21 at the time of the marriage.
However, this relationship did not last, after a short time and the distance caused by their tasks, they ended up separating.
From a very young age, Manuela de la Santa Cruz was taught together with her brothers in science. It is said that she inherited up to 26 medical volumes from Lorenz Heister, which contributed greatly to her training in medicine.
Being the sister of Eugenio Espejo, she was present at numerous political meetings and had access to his library and thought in general.
Without a doubt, this factor was a trigger in his freedom of thought, not only with regard to women, but also to his country.
Works and contributions
Although undervalued from the historical point of view, there are those who consider her one of the great women of the revolutionary process in Ecuador and South America.
In his writings he used to exalt the greatness of all of Quito, especially from the cultural point of view, valuing its artisans, thinkers, writers, politicians and artists.
In his works under the pseudonym Erophilia, he spoke harshly about the colonial system that at that time ruled over America by Spain.
He always defended his ideals, where he demanded greater participation of women in university education, in cultural and political manifestations. Manuela de la Santa Cruz y Espejo holds the honor of being the first journalist (still anonymous) from Quito.
References
- Marcelo Alemida Pástor (August 26, 2015). Our Manuela de la Santa Cruz y Espejo. Retrieved on December 19, 2017, from El Norte.
- Héctor López Molina (nd). Manuela Espejo and Aldaz. Retrieved on December 19, 2017, from Enciclopedia de Quito.
- Manuela Espejo: Great of America (June 12, 2009). Retrieved on December 19, 2017, from Tu Rincón Cultural.
- Fander Falconí (June 28, 2017). The Manuela who defied the Empire. Retrieved on December 19, 2017, from El Telégrafo.
- Manuela Espejo (May 7, 2005). Retrieved on December 19, 2017, from El Universo.
- César Hermida (January 27, 2014). Manuela Espejo. Retrieved on December 19, 2017, from El Tiempo.
- Pedro Reino Garcés (May 23, 2017). Manuela de Santa Cruz and Espejo. Retrieved on December 19, 2017, from El Tiempo.