Prudencia Ayala facts for kids
Prudencia Ayala (born in Sonzacate, 28 April 1885 – died in San Salvador, 11 July 1936) was an important writer and social activist from El Salvador. She was a pioneer in fighting for women's rights in her country. She was also the first woman to run for president in El Salvador and in all of Latin America.
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Early Life and Unique Abilities
Prudencia came from an Indigenous working-class family. Her parents were Aurelia Ayala and Vicente Chief. When she was ten, her family moved to Santa Ana City. She went to elementary school there, but her family didn't have enough money for her to finish her studies. Even so, she taught herself a lot.
She learned to sew and worked as a seamstress. Prudencia also said she could predict the future. She claimed to receive messages from "mysterious voices." This made her quite famous among her family and friends. People called her "la sibila santaneca" in the newspapers of Santa Ana. In 1914, she even predicted that Germany's Kaiser would fall and that the United States would join the war.
Fighting for Change
From 1913, Prudencia started writing her opinions in the Diary of the West newspaper. She spoke out against powerful countries interfering in smaller ones, like the United States' actions in Nicaragua. She also fought for women's rights and for Central American countries to work together. She published poems in many newspapers in El Salvador.
Prudencia faced challenges because of her strong opinions. In 1919, she was put in jail for criticizing a mayor. She was also jailed in Guatemala for several months after being accused of helping to plan a political uprising. In 1921, she published her book Escrible. Adventures of a trip to Guatemala. This book described her journey to Guatemala during the last months of Manuel Estrada Cabrera's rule. She also wrote other books like Immortal, Amores de Loca (1925), and Fumada Mota (1928). In the late 1920s, she started her own newspaper called Rendencion Femenina. In it, she shared her views on the fight for women's rights.
Running for President
In 1930, Prudencia Ayala decided to run for the presidency of El Salvador. This was a very bold move because, at that time, Salvadoran laws did not even allow women to vote.
Her ideas for the country included:
- Supporting worker unions.
- Making the government honest and open.
- Limiting the sale and use of alcohol.
- Respecting everyone's right to practice their religion.
- Recognizing children born outside of marriage.
Her decision to run caused a big public discussion. Many people debated whether a woman should be allowed to run for such a high office. One person who supported her was Alberto Masferrer, a famous philosopher and writer. He wrote in the Patria newspaper that Prudencia Ayala was fighting for a fair cause: women's right to vote and hold important jobs. He also said her plans for the country were just as good as other candidates.
Even with this support, the Supreme Court rejected her application. However, the debate she started was very important. It helped push the feminist movement forward. This led to women's right to vote being looked at again in 1939. Finally, in the Constitution of 1950, under President Oscar Osorio, women in El Salvador officially gained legal recognition of their rights.
Legacy and Remembrance
Prudencia Ayala passed away on 11 July 1936. She was no longer directly involved in politics, but she remained close to ordinary people and social movements.
In March 2009, to celebrate Women's Day, a play called Prudencia en tiempos de brujería was performed in her honor. In March 2017, a street in San Salvador was named Avenida Prudencia Ayala. It is one of only two streets in the capital named after a woman. A plaque on the street honors her, saying:
- Prudencia Ayala, Salvadoran of Indigenous blood, a pioneer in the fight for women's human rights.
See also
In Spanish: Prudencia Ayala para niños
