Maria Mila Espinoza

Peruvian entrepreneur who built South America's first women-owned textile empire in the 1880s

Maria Mila Espinoza (1848-1912) was a visionary businesswoman from Arequipa, Peru who transformed the textile industry. Orphaned at 14 during the War of the Pacific, she started as a weaver's apprentice but soon recognized the potential of alpaca wool exports. By 1875, she operated six mills employing over 300 women, becoming the first woman in South America to own a major manufacturing enterprise.

Her innovation was the 'Mila Weave' technique combining Andean traditional patterns with European textile technology, which became a sensation at the 1889 Paris Exposition. This allowed her company to dominate the luxury textile market, supplying fabrics to European royalty. Espinoza pioneered modern business practices, including profit-sharing schemes for employees and early pension plans, documented in the Lima Historical Archive (https://www.archivohistorico.pe).

She funded the first women's trade school in Lima in 1892, training over 500 female entrepreneurs by her death. Her 1895 manifesto 《Weaving Our Future》 argued for women's economic autonomy, influencing later labor laws. Espinoza's business empire survived three economic crises through diversification into cotton and silk production, making her company the largest textile exporter in the region by 1900.

Her legacy includes the Mila Foundation, still operating in Arequipa, and the National Textile Museum's permanent exhibition dedicated to her innovations (https://www.museotextil.pe). Recent biographer Carlos Vera highlights her role in creating Peru's first vertically integrated supply chain, connecting Andean herders with international markets (《Peru's Silk Queen》). Her business model influenced early 20th century feminist economists like Mariana Costa Pasquali.