Leonor Villegas de Magnón facts for kids

Leonor Villegas de Magnón (born June 12, 1876 – died April 17, 1955) was a brave Mexican-American woman. She was a political activist, a teacher, and a journalist. During the Mexican Revolution, she started a special group called La Cruz Blanca (The White Cross). This group helped people who were hurt in the war.

As a leader in the Mexican Revolution, Magnón wrote about her experiences. She also shared the stories of many other women and leaders. She put all these stories in her autobiography, La Rebelde (The Rebel).

Leonor's Early Life

Leonor Villegas de Magnón was born in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. This town is very close to the border with the United States. Later, Leonor and her family moved to the U.S. to stay safe from the fighting in Mexico.

Her family was quite wealthy. Her father, Joaquin Villegas, was a successful businessman. He worked in ranching, mining, and trading goods. He even gave Leonor the nickname La Rebelde (The Rebel) at the start of her life story. After her mother died, Leonor's father remarried. Leonor was sent to different boarding schools in the United States.

By 1895, Leonor had earned her college degree. She also received a teaching certificate from the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in New York. In 1901, she married Aldopho Magnón, an American citizen. They moved to Mexico City and taught kindergarten from their home. They had three children. Leonor also started writing articles. She criticized the Mexican dictator at the time, Porfirio Díaz. Her articles appeared in La Crónica, a Spanish newspaper. This newspaper, started by the Idar family, spoke out against unfair treatment.

In 1910, Leonor's father passed away. Because of the war, she could not go to Mexico for his funeral.

Leonor's Career and Activism

Because of Leonor's political views, her father's businesses in Mexico began to close. Leonor then moved to Laredo, Texas, while her husband stayed in Mexico. She continued to teach kindergarten in both Mexico City and Laredo. After the Mexican Revolution ended, she opened the first bilingual kindergarten in Laredo.

Leonor was very active in politics. She wrote for newspapers like El Progreso, La Cronica, and El Radical. She continued to criticize Porfirio Díaz. She also showed strong support for Francisco I. Madero, another important leader. Leonor used her maiden name, Villegas, when she wrote these articles.

La Cruz Blanca: The White Cross

In 1914, Magnón started a group of nurses called La Cruz Blanca, or The White Cross. She organized and led this group herself. The White Cross was made up of both men and women. They gave medical help to soldiers from Carranza’s Constitutional Army.

This group formed in Laredo, on the U.S.-Mexico border. It was created because the existing Red Cross seemed to favor the other side. As the leader of The White Cross, Magnón was a very important person during the Mexican Revolution. Some people even compared her role to that of a general.

After the revolution, Magnón's hard work was recognized. The government gave her five different medals. However, her efforts and the important role of women during the revolution were often forgotten.

When Nuevo Laredo was attacked in March 1913, Magnón and other women from Laredo crossed the Rio Grande river. They went to help the wounded soldiers. To make sure help was organized, Leonor formed and paid for La Cruz Blanca. When Nuevo Laredo was attacked again on January 1, 1914, Magnón turned her home, garage, and school into a hospital. Her team of volunteers from La Cruz Blanca worked there. In that month, over 100 Constitutionalist soldiers were treated in her home.

American army officials were stationed outside the hospital. They wanted to arrest the Mexican soldier-patients. Magnón found ways to help soldiers escape once they were well enough. When fifty soldiers were arrested from her hospital, Magnón hired a lawyer to free them. She was not successful at first, but later the Secretary of State released the soldiers.

For Magnón, The White Cross was a symbol of strength and love for Mexico. She hoped it would grow and continue even after the revolution. During and after the war, Magnón carefully wrote down her activities with The White Cross. Her most famous work is her book, La Rebelde (The Rebel). She also saved many photos and documents from the revolution. These were later passed down to her granddaughter. In 1994 and 2007, the US Hispanic Literary Heritage Project found these important items. Her book and photos show that she was close to leaders of the Constitutionalist Army, including Venustiano Carranza. This proves her very important role as a revolution leader.

La Rebelde (The Rebel)

Magnón wrote about her part in the Mexican Revolution in her autobiography, La Rebelde (The Rebel). This book tells a dramatic story of Magnón’s life. It shares details about how she ran La Cruz Blanca. It also talks about networks of female spies.

Clara Lomas, who wrote the introduction to The Rebel, explains why it's important to keep this book. It shows the contributions of women during the Revolution. Magnón tried 26 times to publish her book before she died. It was finally published in 1994, 39 years after her death. Her granddaughter, Leonor Smith, helped publish it through Arte Público Press.

Even though it's her autobiography, Magnón writes about herself in the third person. She calls herself “The Rebel.” The book now has an introduction by Clara Lomas, nineteen chapters, and five extra sections. One of these sections lists the names and descriptions of real people who appear in The Rebel. Magnón starts the book with her birth and ends it with Venustiano Carranza’s death.

Leonor's Death and Legacy

Leonor Villegas de Magnón passed away in Mexico City on April 17, 1955. She was 78 years old. To honor her work, a monument was built in Nuevo Laredo in 2010. This was 90 years after the Mexican Revolution ended.

See also

In Spanish: Leonor Villegas de Magnón para niños