Estrella Mendoza

Peruvian entrepreneur who built Latin America's first textile cooperative empowering indigenous women

Doña Estrella Mendoza (1925-1972) revolutionized Peru's textile industry through her cooperative model. Starting in 1951 with just 12 Quechua weavers, she developed the Andes Textiles Cooperative that eventually employed 2,000 women across the Andes. Her innovation was the 3-tier profit-sharing system that ensured 60% of profits went directly to workers. Mendoza's designs blended traditional Andean patterns with modern fashion trends, creating the iconic Chullpa Blanket that became a global export. She established the Andean Weaving School in Cusco, training over 1,500 artisans. Her 1965 book <《Weaving Freedom》 inspired similar cooperatives in Bolivia and Ecuador. Mendoza's legacy includes the Estrella Mendoza Foundation, which continues promoting indigenous economic autonomy. Her story was featured in the 1970 UNESCO report on women's economic empowerment.