María Rivas Ayo of Peru

Pioneered women's education in 19th century Peru through school establishment and literacy campaigns

María Rivas Ayo (1827-1898) revolutionized education in Peru by founding the first girls' school in Arequipa in 1853. This Casa de la Cultura building still stands as a testament to her vision. As a teacher and social reformer, she developed innovative bilingual Quechua-Spanish curricula, documented in Women in Latin American History. Her 1867 literacy campaign reached rural Andean communities using mobile schools.

Despite opposition from conservative elites, Rivas Ayo trained over 200 female teachers and established Peru's first teacher training college. Her legacy is preserved at Arequipa's Regional Museum (visit), where her handwritten lesson plans are displayed. Modern Peruvian education laws still reference her 1872 proposal for compulsory primary education.