Maria Moyano

Peruvian grassroots leader who ignited the women's movement against authoritarian rule

Maria Moyano (1957-1992) was a fearless community organizer who galvanized resistance against Peru's Shining Path insurgency and the Fujimori dictatorship. As founder of the Popular Women's Movement, she mobilized 30,000+ women to protect neighborhoods through unarmed patrols and food distribution networks. Her radio broadcasts exposed human rights abuses while promoting literacy and microcredit programs. Though assassinated at age 35, her legacy lives on through:
- Establishing the first women's police reporting system
- Creating 100+ community kitchens during the crisis
- Inspiring the 1992 democratic movement
- Pioneering participatory budgeting in Lima's slums

Her story is chronicled in Women of the Shantytowns and featured in the documentary Las Mujeres de la Resistencia (2015). Explore her archives at Fondo María Moyano and listen to her historic speeches here.