Leona Vicario

Key financier and intelligence operative in Mexico's War of Independence

Leona Vicario Fernández de San Salvador (1789–1842) was a journalist and revolutionary who funded insurgent networks during Mexico’s struggle for independence from Spain. Using her inheritance, she purchased weapons, smuggled information, and supported rebels like José María Morelos.

Born into a wealthy Criollo family, Leona secretly wrote for pro-independence publications like El Ilustrador Americano. Her home in Mexico City became a hub for encrypted messages and covert meetings. In 1813, Spanish authorities arrested her, but she escaped to join Morelos’s forces, earning the title ‘Benemérita de la Patria’ (Distinguished Servant of the Nation).

Post-independence, Leona advocated for women’s education and property rights. She co-founded the Academia de San Juan de Letrán to promote literacy among marginalized groups. Her writings, including letters detailing colonial abuses, remain vital historical sources.

In 2020, Mexico’s government renamed the Secretaría de Gobernación building ‘Edificio Leona Vicario’ in her honor. Her life exemplifies women’s unsung roles in nation-building movements.