Maria Chapa de Velasco

Mexican educator and suffragette who championed indigenous women's rights through bilingual education programs

Maria Chapa de Velasco (1910-1968) was a revolutionary educator from Oaxaca who developed Mexico's first bilingual education system for indigenous communities. A Zapotec activist, she recognized that language barriers were preventing indigenous women from accessing education. Her Wikipedia page describes how she created schools teaching both Spanish and native languages, which became models for national education policy. She also organized literacy campaigns during the 1940s, training over 2000 female teachers across Mexico. Her work was pivotal in securing voting rights for indigenous populations through the 1953 electoral reforms. The Encyclopedia Britannica highlights her establishment of the Casa de la Mujer Indigena, a center providing legal aid and education services. Though overshadowed by male leaders of the Mexican Revolution, her methods influenced UNESCO's 1951 recommendations on multilingual education. Recent documentaries like 《Voices of Oaxaca》 (2021) have brought renewed attention to her contributions. Her legacy lives on through the annual Maria Chapa de Velasco Prize for Indigenous Education.