Indigenous Women: Dolores Cacuango

Episode Summary

Dolores Cacuango was born in 1881 into a life of exploitation on a hacienda estate in Ecuador. As an Indigenous woman, she had no access to education or resources. After escaping to Quito as a teenager and experiencing discrimination, she became politically active. In 1926, Cacuango helped challenge the sale of community lands, setting the tone for future activism. She organized an agricultural strike in 1931 that sparked an Indigenous social movement and led to the first Indigenous labor unions. In 1944, Cacuango founded the Indigenous Ecuadorian Federation to unite urban and rural activists. That same year, she also founded Ecuador's first bilingual school to teach in Spanish and Quechua. Cacuango spent her life fighting for Indigenous land rights, education, and economic justice through protests and organizing. She lived in Cayambe and died in 1971 at age 89, leaving a legacy as a leader who reclaimed Indigenous identity and rights in Ecuador.

Episode Show Notes

Dolores Cacuango (1881-1971) fought for and asserted the identity and rights of indigenous peoples against a backdrop of centuries of brutality and disenfranchisement. She reclaimed the instruction of her language, Quechua, and founded the first bilingual schools in Ecuador.

Episode Transcript

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As a Womanica listener, you'll get 10% off your first month by visiting our sponsor at BetterHelp.com slash EW. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P.com slash EW. Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. This month, we're highlighting Indigenous women from around the globe. Today, we're talking about a woman who fought for and asserted the identity and rights of Indigenous peoples against a backdrop of centuries of brutality and disenfranchisement. She reclaimed the instruction of her language, Quechua, and founded the first bilingual schools in Ecuador. Please welcome Dolores Caquango. Dolores Caquango was born in Cayambe, a town in the northern Andes in Ecuador on October 26th, 1881. She was born on a hacienda, a Spanish estate that can be likened to the American plantation. Colonists instituted the hacienda system to produce goods by enslaving or exploiting their workers. Dolores' parents worked in exchange for a small piece of land called a huacipungo. Dolores grew up with no resources or schooling. When she was 15 years old, she escaped to the capital, Quito. She found work as a domestic worker in the house of a military official. While Dolores never learned to read or write, she did learn Spanish in her jobs. After experiencing rampant discrimination toward Indigenous peoples in Quito for many years, Dolores' political awakening came when she found out through an Indigenous activist named Juan Albemocho that there were some national laws in place that protected Indigenous people. A seed was planted, and not long after, Dolores returned to Cayambe. There, she married and had nine children. Only one son survived the conditions in which the family was forced to live. In 1926, Dolores helped challenge the sale of their community land, setting the tone for future challenges. Dolores and the other women in her community became activists and leaders in a fight against the exploitative hacienda system. An agricultural strike that they organized in 1931 sparked an Indigenous social movement that eventually resulted in the first Indigenous labor unions in the country. In 1944, they founded the Indigenous Ecuadorian Federation, with the abbreviation FEI in Spanish, a shared space where urban and rural activists worked together in the struggle for Indigenous rights. Dolores also fought for education for her community. That same year, in 1944, she also founded the first bilingual school in Ecuador, teaching in both Spanish and Quechua. Dolores spent the rest of her life organizing and fighting for land rights, accessible education, and economic justice for Indigenous people, while she regularly traveled to Quito to join protests and other efforts. She lived the rest of her life in Cayambe. She died on April 23, 1971. She was 89 years old. All month, we're talking about Indigenous women. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow. 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