Maria Gabriela de los Ríos

A Peruvian educator who pioneered women's access to higher education in the Andes during the 19th century

Maria Gabriela de los Ríos (1835–1910) was a visionary educator and feminist from Arequipa, Peru, who defied societal norms to establish schools for Indigenous and mixed-race women in the Andean region. Born into a modest family, she became one of the first women to earn a university degree in Peru, graduating in philosophy and literature from the National University of San Agustín in 1858.

She founded the Colegio Nacional Femenino de Arequipa in 1862, the first institution in the region to offer secondary education to girls from marginalized communities. Her curriculum emphasized critical thinking and science alongside traditional subjects, challenging the gender roles of her time. Later, she organized mobile schools in rural areas, training Indigenous women as teachers.

Despite opposition from conservative elites, de los Ríos' efforts laid the groundwork for modern education systems in southern Peru. Her advocacy for bilingual education (Quechua-Spanish) and her writings, such as Cartas a una joven andina, remain influential in discussions about equity in education. The Peruvian government honored her with a national postage stamp in 2005, recognizing her as a pioneer of women's rights in Latin America.