Born: 26 October 1881, Ecuador
Died: 24 April 1971
Country most active: Ecuador
Also known as: NA
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Dolores Cacuango, known as Mamá Doloreyuk, was a pioneering advocate for indigenous and farmer rights in Ecuador and played a key role in the early Ecuadorian feminist movement from the 1930s to the 1960s. In 1944, she co-founded the Federación Ecuatoriana de Indios (FEI) with support from the Ecuadorian Communist Party.
Dolores, born to indigenous parents who worked as unpaid laborers on haciendas, lacked access to education. She learned Spanish while working as a housemaid in Quito. Throughout her life, she led uprisings against hacienda owners and their mistreatment of indigenous people, contributing to the Land Reform law’s enactment in 1973.
In 1930, Cacuango played a pivotal role in the historic workers’ strike at the Pesillo hacienda in Cayambe, a significant moment for indigenous and peasant rights.
During the May 1944 Revolution in Ecuador, Cacuango personally led an assault on a government military base. Alongside activist Tránsito Amaguaña, she co-founded the Indigenous Federation of Ecuador (FEI), an organization dedicated to advocating for indigenous rights.
Despite her lack of formal education, Cacuango established the first bilingual Indian schools in 1945. These schools taught in both Spanish and Quechua, with the aim of improving the conditions of indigenous children and promoting bilingual literacy. Unfortunately, these schools operated for 18 years before being closed by the military junta in 1963 on suspicion of communism.
Cacuango was a vocal Communist and faced imprisonment for her activism. She died in 1971.
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